Natural Resource Management Planning Research Articles

The Environmental Niche of the Light Purse Seine Fleet in the Northwest Pacific Ocean Based on Automatic Identification System Data

Ecosystem-based fisheries management requires high-precision fisheries information to provide relevant data for natural resource management, assessment, and marine spatial planning. This study utilizes Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from light purse seine vessels from the Chinese mainland that were collected from May to November between 2020 and 2022, along with the corresponding environmental data. By applying boosted regression trees (BRTs) and generalized additive models (GAMs), this study establishes nonlinear relationships between fishing intensity and predictor variables and explores the ecological and environmental drivers behind the spatial distribution of light purse seine vessels from the Chinese mainland in the Northwest Pacific. This research identifies the key influencing factors and reveals significant seasonal preferences for different marine environments in various months, with chlorophyll-a being the primary influencing factor. The predicted fishing effort closely resembles observed data, providing valuable information to support fisheries resource management and planning.

Description of a relict aspen parkland-associated grassland in the Peace River region of British Columbia, Canada

The aspen parkland-associated grasslands of the Peace River region, British Columbia (BC), have been severely reduced in area, primarily because of agricultural and urban development. In this region, the species composition of plant communities is similar to that of prairie grasslands and is topographically influenced, occurring primarily on warm-aspect slopes along the Peace River and some of its tributaries. Historical records show that non-forested grass- and sedge-dominated plant communities occurred on flat and gently rolling terrain in a parkland ecosystem near what are now the communities of Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. The Peace grasslands are not represented in BC’s biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification, perhaps leading to their neglect in regional natural resource management and conservation planning. Here, I describe the vascular plant community of a level-terrain relict aspen parkland-associated grassland in the Peace River region. Its species composition differs from nearby warm-aspect grasslands and includes provincially listed plant species. Increased awareness of grassland communities may support conservation, ecosystem restoration, and climate change adaptation in the southern boreal region of BC.

Natural resource management and regional planning: a geographical perspective

ABSTRACT Studies of land divided into regions based on various criteria have long attracted geographers around the world. Insights from these studies, with a focus on Australia, highlight the power of geographical analyses to differentiate areas of community interest that can activate government policies in addressing spatially specific issues. Application of the regional approach in the form of integrated natural resource management that will capture the trust of regional communities should guide the restoration and resilience of landscapes experiencing decades of degradation. Forces of environmental change along with other social and economic pressures are continually transforming landscapes. This requires the application of a devolved governance framework based on multi-level governance principles that reflect regional geographical character at a scale linked to community identities and interests committed to achieving sustained outcomes over time.

Plant cultural indicators of forest resources from the Himalayan high mountains: implications for improving agricultural resilience, subsistence, and forest restoration

AimBiocultural legacy practices are intricately tied to forestry resources, ethnic identity, and social cohesiveness. This study aims to determine the plant cultural values of forest resources and identify plant cultural indicators in each ethnic group, which can aid in long-term natural resource management plans in the current debate on socio-environmental and ecological transitions.MethodsSemi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations were employed to collect data for a comprehensive and systematic ethnobotanical survey from February 2018 to October 2022.ResultsA total of 330 informants reported 154 plant species from 65 families. Asteraceae was the most prominent botanical family, with herbaceous plant groups outnumbering trees and shrubs. The Gujjar and Pahari groups exhibited the highest level of overlap, followed by significant overlaps between the Gujjar and Kashmiri communities. The close affinity observed between the Gujjar and Pahari groups suggests the horizontal pattern of local plant knowledge between these communities, influenced by their sociocultural interactions and intermarriages. Notably, the Pahari community displayed a rich understanding of medicinal plants and shared unique uses for the reported taxa. This study affirms that both ecological factors and sociocultural influences have played significant roles in shaping local plant knowledge. A total of 31 plant species have been identified as plant cultural markers among all four ethnic groups. We observed a positive correlation between plant cultural values and plant use with the Gujjar and Kashmiri ethnic groups. Artemisia absinthium reported the highest use value of (0.57) with use reports of (189). Adonis aestivalis, Cynoglossum nervosum, Geum elatum, Geranium himalayense, Juncus inflexus, Oxalis acetosella, Polygonatum biflorum, and Salvia hians from the Himalayan region are among the plant taxa whose ethnomedicinal applications are described here for the first time.ConclusionOur data show that local and indigenous forest knowledge and practices could significantly contribute to forest conservation and ecological transition. This may happen if stakeholders generate clear frameworks and biocultural conservation strategies aimed at both dynamically preserve natural habitats and ways of traditional management of local natural resources.

Forest Community Spatial Modeling Using Machine Learning and Remote Sensing Data

This study examines the application of unsupervised classification techniques in the mapping of forest vegetation, aiming to align vegetation cover with the Braun-Blanquet classification system through remote sensing. By leveraging Landsat 8 and 9 satellite imagery and advanced clustering algorithms, specifically the Weka X-Means, this research addresses the challenge of minimizing researcher subjectivity in vegetation mapping. The methodology incorporates a two-step clustering approach to accurately classify forest communities, utilizing a comprehensive set of vegetation indices to distinguish between different types of forest ecosystems. The validation of the classification model relied on a detailed analysis of over 17,000 relevés from the “Flora” database, ensuring a high degree of accuracy in matching satellite-derived vegetation classes with field observations. The study’s findings reveal the successful identification of 44 forest community types that was aggregated into seven classes of Braun-Blanquet classification system, demonstrating the efficacy of unsupervised classification in generating reliable vegetation maps. This work not only contributes to the advancement of remote sensing applications in ecological research, but also provides a valuable tool for natural resource management and conservation planning. The integration of unsupervised classification with the Braun-Blanquet system presents a novel approach to vegetation mapping, offering insights into ecological characteristics, and can be good starter point for sequestration potential of forest communities’ assessment in the Republic of Tatarstan.

Traditional ecological knowledge and natural resource management: Some examples from Bangladesh

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) refers to the knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous and local communities around the world. As it includes proven technologies for particular situations, its adoption cuts research costs and time. This paper attempts to find out the scoping of some TEKs on different practices ranging from plain land agriculture, hill farming, agro-biodiversity management, open water fish conservation, disaster management, and other aspects in different situations in Bangladesh. It is an outcome of the authors’ field experiences in the study of local flora, plant uses, and natural resource management practices in the community and a review of related literature. Access to modern facilities, urbanization, and land use changes are now causing many threats to TEK. Documentation and codification of this knowledge and its uses for sustainable development are needed for the betterment of local farmers as well as the preservation of cultural heritage. The knowledge is always changing to cope with socio-cultural needs. So, a fusion of TEK and modern scientific knowledge can help solve the problems encountered in the sustainable management of natural resources. It also needs to be incorporated into school curricula and mainstreamed in the local-level natural resource management planning process. The best practices can also be adopted in natural resource management.

2017–2020年广东南岭典型植被类型木本植物物种组成数据集

Plant species composition is a vital indicator for studying the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems. It constitutes an important component of the China Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) and the long-term monitoring of terrestrial ecosystem biological elements. It can be utilized to assess and monitor biodiversity levels, environmental changes, and ecosystem responses. It holds utmost significance for natural resource management and land-use planning, providing crucial foundations for scientific research, policy-making, and ecological conservation. Nanling, as a significant ecological barrier in China, harbors the largest area of forests at the same latitude. It encompasses various vegetation types, including subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests, subtropical mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, and subtropical dwarf evergreen broad-leaved forests. Following the monitoring specifications for terrestrial ecosystem biological elements, this paper presents the original data of all woody plant individuals with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 1 cm, including their species names, DBH, height, and other relevant information. These data were obtained through two consecutive census surveys conducted by the Guangdong Nanling Forest Ecosystem National Field Scientific Observation Research Station from 2017 to 2020. After meticulous data organization, quality control, and evaluation, the dataset provides detailed information on typical forest communities in Nanling, including plot numbers, vegetation types, species names, Latin names, abundance, relative abundance, relative dominance, relative frequency, importance value, and year of survey. This dataset serves as local data for in-depth investigation into biodiversity, community structure, and functions of forest communities in Nanling. Moreover, it aims to provide fundamental support for forest management, environmental protection, natural resource management, and sustainable development in the region.

Geospatial analysis of deforestation, land use and impacts of water resources in paragominas, Pará

Geospatial data has proven effective in identifying and monitoring deforestation, land use, and water resources in regions with a predominant focus on agriculture and livestock. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of georeferencing in identifying instances of deforestation and land use, and their respective impacts on water resources in Paragominas, Pará, during the years 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2021. The methodology utilized an inductive approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods along with field observations. Georeferencing data showed that deforestation has taken place since the establishment of the municipality, resulting in an 83.64% decrease in forest cover. In 2000, the urban area occupied 1,333 hectares and in 2021 it increased to 2,026 hectares. The surface water area decreased by 207.91 hectares between 2000 and 2021. From 2010 to 2021, pastures decreased from 187,561 hectares to 125,229 hectares. Agriculture also evolved from occupying 1,342 hectares in 2000 to 103,162 hectares in 2021. Of the 11 settlement projects, five are completely located within the Uraim river basin, and two others are partially located there. The literature analyzed reveals that water originates from the Uraim River, which runs through rural properties and farming communities such as Colonia do Uraim, resulting in sediment deposition, soil compaction, reduced infiltration capacity, and basin recharge. Furthermore, the right bank tributary, the Paragominas stream, has 1.5 km of developed banks. Spatial analysis utilizing geospatial data is vital for identifying deforested areas and conducting complementary studies on land use, occupation, and water quality. These studies are instrumental in devising natural resource management plans for Paragominas.

Understanding land-use sustainability with a systematical framework: An evaluation case of China

Appraisals of land-use sustainability (LUS) are indispensable for the attainment of sustainable land-use planning and management. At present, China is experiencing a pivotal phase of comprehensive reform in land-use policy, engendering a practical necessity for system-oriented land evaluations. Despite this, studies focused on national-scale systematic LUS evaluation remain scarce. Within this context, we developed a hierarchical structural framework for land-use systems based on the assumption that sustainable land-use systems adapted to development needs have mutually adaptable internal subsystems and fewer conflicting system elements. Employing this framework, we assessed the LUS across Chinese counties from 2000 to 2015 by using a newly introduced static equilibrium equation；we also analyzed the natural and socioeconomic influences and driving effect of land-use change to LUS. Findings reveal a significant spatial clustering and urban-rural differentiation within the LUS spatial pattern. Five LUS hot and cold spots and eight metropolitan areas with poor LUS were identified. Furthermore, conflicting land capability elements and the non-adaptability of land function subsystems with capability subsystems are the primary constraints on LUS; gross domestic product (GDP), population growth, and the GDP growth per unit land area had the most significant impacts on LUS; The transformation of construction and cropland into ecological land and the re-purposing of grassland into building land are primary drivers of LUS. Our findings highlight the prospective utility of the proposed LUS framework in integrated natural resource management and territorial spatial planning. Meanwhile, Insights from this evaluation case could be harnessed to optimize land-use in critical regions (including northern arid and semiarid regions, the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau region, the poverty belt around the capital, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta metropolitan areas, as well as Fuzhou and Xiamen metropolitan areas), thereby enhancing land management decision-making processes.

Soil Salinity Assessing and Mapping Using Several Statistical and Distribution Techniques in Arid and Semi-Arid Ecosystems, Egypt

Oasis lands in Egypt are commonly described as salty soils; therefore, waterlogging and higher soil salinity are major obstacles to sustainable agricultural development. This study aims to map and assess soil salinization at El-Farafra Oasis in the Egypt Western Desert based on salinity indices, Imaging Spectroscopy (IS), and statistical techniques. The regression model was developed to test the relationship between the electrical conductivity (ECe) of 70 surface soil samples and seven salinity indices (SI 1, SI 2, SI 5, SI 6, SI 7, SI 8, and SI 9) to produce soil salinity maps depending on Landsat-8 (OLI) images. The investigations of soil salinization and salinity indices were validated in a studied area based on 30 soil samples; the obtained results represented that all salinity indices have shown satisfactory correlations between ECe values for each soil sample site and salinity indices, except for the SI 5 index that present non-significant correlations with R2 value of 0.2688. The SI 8 index shows a higher negative significant correlation with ECe and an R2 value of 0.6356. There is a significant positive correlation at the (p < 0.01) level between SI 9 and ECe (r = 0.514), a non-significant correlation at the (p < 0.05) level between soil ECe and SI 1 index (r = 0.495), and the best-verified salinity index was for SI 7 that has a low estimated RMSE error of 8.58. Finally, the highest standard error (R2) was represented as ECe (dS m−1) with an R2 of 0.881, and the lowest one was SI 9 with an R2 of 0.428, according to Tukey’s test analysis. Therefore, observing and investigating soil salinity are essential requirements for appropriate natural resource management plans in the future.

Examining the Drivers of Land Use /Land Cover Change: A Case of the Kavango River Basin and its Immediate Environments in Namibia

Understanding the drivers of land cover changes (LULCC) is very crucial for the development of management strategies as well as policy improvement and the sustenance of ecosystem services. This is crucial in preventing further degradation and proper planning of sustainable natural resources management. In this study, an attempt has been made to identify the drivers of LULCC in the Kavango East and West Regions of Namibia, from 1990 to 2018. Remotely Sensed Images were used to compute indices. Socio-economic surveys were conducted using structured interviews to share the past experiences of the local people, some key informants, and other stakeholders in the region. A combination of this information together with the Remote Sensing data was then used to derive the drivers of LULCC in the study area. Results of the study showed that changes were triggered by the interplay of more than five drivers identified and related to the environment, socio-economic, and other technical factors. In particular, the establishment and expansions of agricultural land, settlement, urbanization, and lumbering (for timber and crafting) were viewed by local people as the leading cause of deforestation. Other factors such as drought, flooding, and lumbering (for construction and firewood) cannot be undermined. Future studies will be targeted at assessing these drivers to evaluate their impacts on achieving sustainable development in the Kavango River Basin of Namibia and its immediate environments.

Natural resource management in American national parks: Principles, problems and enlightenment

The natural resources of national parks in the United States are mainly divided into eight categories: biological resources, fire resources, water resources, air resources, geological resources, soundscape, lighting, chemicals and odors. The management procedures set by the National Park Administration include the formulation of natural resource management planning, the preservation and publication of natural resource information, the assessment of the impact of natural resources, the establishment of the extensive cooperative relations, the promotion of the restoration of natural ecosystems and the establishment of natural resources damage compensation system etc. Different management principles and methods are adopted for different types of natural resources. The “application–review–evaluation–permission” procedure for the development and utilization of natural resources is established and strictly implemented. However, there are also some problems, such as insufficient coverage of natural resources, dislocation of unified management and decentralized management, and serious shortage of financial investment. China’s national parks should clearly define the types of natural resources, gradually expand the pilot scope of natural resource asset management system, establish and improve the natural resource management system, highlight the integrity of ecosystem, adhere to management according to law, and strengthen the control of land and space use.

Tackling the Science Usability Gap in a Warming World: Co-Producing Useable Climate Information for Natural Resource Management

Developing scientific information that is used in policy and practice has been a longstanding challenge in many sectors and disciplines, including climate change adaptation for natural resource management. One approach to address this problem encourages scientists and decision-makers to co-produce usable information collaboratively. Researchers have proposed general principles for climate science co-production, yet few studies have applied and evaluated these principles in practice. In this study, climate change researchers and natural resource managers co-produced climate-related knowledge that was directly relevant for on-going habitat management planning. We documented our methods and assessed how and to what extent the process led to the near-term use of co-produced information, while also identifying salient information needs for future research. The co-production process resulted in: 1) an updated natural resource management plan that substantially differed from the former plan in how it addressed climate change, 2) increased understanding of climate change, its impacts, and management responses among agency staff, and 3) a prioritized list of climate-related information needs that would be useful for management decision-making. We found that having a boundary spanner—an intermediary with relevant science and management expertise that enables exchange between knowledge producers and users—guide the co-production process was critical to achieving outcomes. Central to the boundary spanner’s role were a range of characteristics and skills, such as knowledge of relevant science, familiarity with management issues, comfort translating science into practice, and an ability to facilitate climate-informed planning. By describing specific co-production methods and evaluating their effectiveness, we offer recommendations for others looking to co-produce climate change information to use in natural resource management planning and implementation.

How prominent are coastal and marine environments in Australia's natural resource management regions? A reflection of past arrangements and current conditions

Coastal Natural Resources Management (NRM) is a distinct sector in Australia with a focus on biodiversity conservation. It is a sector worthy of scrutiny because coastal and marine environments are arguably more complex and dynamic than their terrestrial counterparts thus creating more diverse challenges for managers. Land tenure at the coast in Australia also sets these environments apart and has direct implications for NRM governance, including reliance on a volunteer workforce. Numerous politically driven federal policy and funding cycles have shaped what has become Australia's current NRM system. It is argued that over time the coastal sector has become increasingly marginalised through these cycles. Here we concentrate on the devolved governance framework established in the mid-2000s as the federal government's ‘regional delivery’ model. While NRM policy has since re-centralised and shifted focus, regions and their administration have endured and are significant entities but have received little recent attention. This paper presents a brief history of NRM in Australia including the emergence of state NRM architecture and an update of the status of coastal NRM regions. We use a sample of ten NRM regions selected based on coastline length to land area ratios and affluence attributes. The prominence of coasts is considered through three pillars essential to the NRM system: Boards of Management; strategic planning, and support for the volunteer community. While a regional NRM framework is in place, the prominence of coastal and marine environments is questionable in relation to Boards of Management expertise. This has implications for strategic planning. The interrogation of plans suggests that overall, the focus of stakeholders is not primarily on conservation of coastal assets and the past levels of support for coastal volunteers is a but shadow of previous programs. A set of national guidelines or principles to integrate coastal and marine priorities in NRM planning cycles offer one mechanism to amend this situation along with a reinvigoration of a community support program.

The use of geoinformation systems in forestry and forestry industry

The article discusses aspects of the application of geoinformation systems in forestry. Rational use, conservation and restoration of forests in the modern world is becoming an increasingly complex urgent task. Forestry requires improving the quality of management and monitoring of forest resources, improving the perception of geoinformation in a user-accessible form. As the demand for natural resources grows, it becomes imperative that natural resource management plans be more understandable, more dynamic, accessible to the public, and take into account the many values associated with the forest, land and society. For example, ARC/INFO GIS is ideal for forestry management. ARC/INFO software is a powerful set of software tools for creating and editing geographical databases, for the purposes of spatial analysis, search, presentation and data management. Forest management planning includes making forecasts of how the forest will look as a result of certain management methods. Remote sensing and assessment of primary forest resources are also important. In order to practically use this valuable source of information, satellite image data must be geographically linked, adjusted to take into account the terrain and connected to such a technological infrastructure as GIS. With the help of integrated GIS, the needs of all persons related to forestry will be met through shared and shared access to objective information. Thus, it can be noted that recently there has been an active integration of geoinformation systems and forestry, which brings great benefits to both the first and the second science

Land use/land cover dynamics and perception of the local communities in Bita district, south western Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Human settlements and swift expansion of agriculture have simplified the natural ecosystems and causing the loss of copious biological diversity. The current study was conducted in Bita district, southwestern Ethiopia to examine the pattern of land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics using multispectral satellite data for the years 1973, 1986, 2000 and 2018. The remote-sensed data were processed using ERDAS imagine 2014, ArcGIS map 10.5, and ENVI software. A supervised maximum likelihood classification algorithm was employed along with the visual interpretation of satellite images to classify each Landsat image into LULC categories. Semi-structured interviews and Focus Group Discussions were employed to identify major driving forces, impacts, and periodic LULC changes. The result revealed an alarming decrease in forestland but with an increase in the cropland. During the study periods, cropland, bareland and settlement areas have augmented by over 450% each. Conversely, grasslands and forestlands have reduced by over 45% each. The local communities perceived the population growth, and the expansion of coffee plantations and other croplands as the dominant drivers of LULC changes. The respondents also observed that the decline in forest cover triggered the loss of biodiversity, soil fertility and water availability. Decision-making on issues related to natural resource conservation, utilization and participatory resource management has to involve the engagement of the local community and other stakeholders. The deterioration in ecosystem services such as lack of benefits from medicinal plants from the forest, increase land degradation, and the decrease in water availability found to be the impacts of LULC change. This calls for a proper natural resource management plan and improvement in the livelihood of the community in the study area.

Creating collaboration for contentious projects on managed aquifer recharge: two cases from Finland

In Finland, community water supply has increasingly relied on natural groundwater and artificially recharged groundwater as the raw water source. Several managed aquifer recharge (MAR) projects have been co-created with involved parties and have proceeded well, while some cases have raised considerable resistance among the stakeholders. It seems that success or failure in MAR cooperation is related to management cultures and the ways in which various interests are taken into account, from the very beginning and throughout the process. Empirically, this paper builds on comparison between two conflictual case studies in Finland: one in the Tampere region and the other in the Turku region. The study analyses the major constraints of these projects through the lens of collaborative rationality, also drawing upon discourse analysis and negotiation theory. The material is gathered through thematic interviews of stakeholders, newspaper articles and a stakeholder workshop. The results indicate that conventional management approaches, drawing from expert-based instrumental rationality, were insufficient in both cases. The collaborative rationality framework suggests that legitimacy for the groundwater projects should be gained through joint knowledge production and inclusive multiparty interaction for creating options for collaboration. Both cases lacked the tools and know-how for authentic dialogue and collaboration. The emerging paradigm emphasizes more collaborative approaches for natural resources management and urban planning. While MAR projects operate inside these areas and are highly complex in nature, it is essential to embrace the emerging paradigm in order to promote MAR systems along with their huge potential.

Diversity and structure of plant assemblages in open scrub vegetation patches of Dachigam National Park at Kashmir Himalayas

Plant diversity and floristic composition of open scrub vegetation patches of Dachigam National Park, Kashmir in the Western Himalayas were assessed with an objective to develop a baseline data foundation for natural resource management plans and proper conservation strategies for the floristically rich ecosystem. The vegetation study was carried out by using standard sampling protocol of stratified random nested quadrats. The richness was observed with 190 species, representing 128 genera within 53 families. The species diversity index and concentration of dominance index of the area was 3.09 and 0.1207, respectively. Shannon-Wiener index and evenness indices were 5.42 and 1.034, respectively and the values of IVI ranged from 0.84 to 42.33. The diversity indices indicate the heterogeneity of the scrub area in its structure, composition, function and vegetation dynamics. The present study though preliminary in nature but the generated baseline information will be helpful to design conservation planning for the wildlife especially the Kashmir stag (Cervus elaphus hanglu) as these open scrubs vegetation patches are connective corridors of this endangered species of the Dachigam National Park.

Storage and analysis of natural resources information in various territories

The article is devoted to the creation of a system of cartographic models of natural resources for a specific territory. The reasons for the inefficient use of natural resource information in modern Russia are described. The place of natural resource mapping in the formation of a natural resource information space is characterized. The task of systematic consideration of natural resources when creating cartographic support for solving the problems of natural resource management and environmental management planning has been set. It is proposed to develop a program for processing images in the GeoTIFF format, intended for the analysis of natural resources. The structure of the program for the planning and management of environmental management is presented. The main functional types of CMRD are outlined: inventory, estimated, forecasted, recommended. The features of their use at various stages of environmental management are identified.

Declining trends in plan quality: A longitudinal evaluation of regional environmental plans in Queensland, Australia

Most evaluations of environmental planning consider how planning is conducted, implemented or perceived. The quality of the plans themselves has received limited attention. Plan quality is a key factor in determining planning outcomes with plans of high quality more likely to produce positive planning outcomes. Using criteria for plan quality well established in planning literature, we develop a framework of 62 indicators to measure the extent to which environmental plans are: 1) collaborative; 2) adaptive; 3) action-orientated; and 4) evidence-based. We apply this framework using a systematic methodology to evaluate the quality of a specific type of environmental plan – regional natural resource management plans - introduced in the Australian state of Queensland over a 13 year period between 2004 and 2016.We tested a number of plan quality factors, including the number of funding sources, planning experience (in terms of the numbers of plans produced) and plan format (web-based and ‘traditional’ paper format). Our analysis finds that, rather than improving over time, plan quality has declined between three distinct generations of plans in Queensland. We conclude that dedicated funding for plan development is important for plan quality, while planning experience and plan format do not guarantee higher plan quality.Our findings add to the growing literature on establishing factors of plan quality. We propose that the plan quality framework could be useful in future evaluations and plan comparisons.