Analyzing cause and effect in environmental assessments: Using weighted evidence from the literature

This article describes the Eco Evidence analysis framework, a type of causal criteria analysis that uses available evidence to assess support for a hypothesis.

The eight-step Eco Evidence method is described as a way to assess the support for cause-effect hypotheses by conducting a systematic review of relevant evidence from the published ecological literature. The method involves weighting each piece of evidence according to its study design, with stronger studies contributing more to the assessment.

The paper provides a detailed description of the eight steps, draws on an example case study to further illustrate the process and discusses the strengths and limitations of Eco Evidence. The method systematizes the Multiple lines and levels of evidence (MLLE) method.