Reply to Pardo et al. 2015 on 'Reply to comment on Couto-Mendoza et al. 2014. More complexity does not always mean more accuracy: the case of IBMWP and METI in NW Spain' Ecohydrology DOI

• Published in: Ecohydrology Vol. 9; no. 7; pp. 1424 - 1427
• Main Authors: Couto-Mendoza, M T, Vieira-Lanero, R, Cobo, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.10.2016
• Subjects: ANE, Baltic Sea; ANE, Spain
• ISSN: 1936-0584; 1936-0592
• DOI: 10.1002/eco.1713

The manuscript "More complexity does not always mean more accuracy: the case of IBMWP and METI in NW Spain" compares the behaviour of one multimetric index (METI), proposed for NW Spain rivers, and the IBMWP, excluded from the Spanish Water Planning Instruction for NW Spain rivers, under the same conditions in the Mino-Sil Basin District (DHMS) in the NW Spain. The conclusion of that assay is that both indices are useful tools for evaluating the ecological status of the running-water ecosystems in the NW Spain, and emphasises the use of the IBMWP, because it may be better (more practical) than the METI, which has already been proposed for the same goal in this region. Another topic to deal with in the report was the number of established reference sites in the DHMS. Pardo et al. ( ) give 5 replies to 5 criticisms that question the use of the METI in the NW Spain. Pardo et al. (2015) mention that those criticisms are contained in Couto-Mendoza et al. ( ). Overall, Pardo et al. ( ) highlight the validity of the METI as a method for assessing the ecological status because, unlike the IBMWP that they reject, it has been intercalibrated in the European exercise in the Central Baltic Rivers GIG. Each reply to the criticisms selected by Pardo et al. ( ) is discussed.