Editorial synthesis and highlights

The workshop brought together scientists and coastal managers from different areas of the world involved in the development and application of environmental indicators for assessing and predicting the health of coastal ecosystems. Presentations and follow-up discussions focused on three general themes: development of new indicators and their implications for addressing critical coastal-research and management needs; review of relevant measurement, data-analysis, or modelling approaches; and overview of ongoing programmes related to the topic of "Indicators of Stress in the Marine Benthos," a major emphasis of the workshop. The forum, which included two days of informal and lively round-table discussions, provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing initiatives in related fields from local to international perspectives and to exchange ideas on future directions regarding the use of environmental indicators.