Gulf of Mexico Habitat and Species Vulnerability

The Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment utilized expert opinion that was gathered through the Standardized Index of Vulnerability and Value (SIVVA) tool, which is an Excel-based vulnerability and prioritization tool that enables assessors to provide input in a relatively short time and allows for relatively seamless compilation of results. The vulnerability of each ecosystem and associated species was conducted by subregion, excluding those subregions where the species did not occur in significant numbers. Assessors were asked to evaluate species based on the habitats they use in a particular subregion. Because vulnerability can vary with life-stage for many species, assessors were asked to consider the most vulnerable life-stage of the species for each criterion scored.

墨西哥湾沿岸脆弱性评估（Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment）采用了通过标准化脆弱性与价值指数（Standardized Index of Vulnerability and Value，简称SIVVA）工具收集的专家意见。该工具为基于Excel的脆弱性评估与优先级排序工具，可支持评估人员在较短时间内完成信息录入，并实现评估结果的相对无缝整合。本次评估按子区域开展各生态系统及相关物种的脆弱性评估，但排除了物种种群规模未达显著水平的子区域。评估人员需依据特定子区域内物种所依赖的生境对其进行评估。鉴于多数物种的脆弱性会随生命阶段发生变化，评估人员在针对每项评分标准进行评估时，需考虑该物种最脆弱的生命阶段。