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Abstract: In this paper some tendencies of indicator development and application are presented from a quantitative and a qualitative point-of-view. The results of a mainly statistical analysis of the first twenty volumes of the journal Ecological Indicators are described and discussed. The focus of this investigation has been set on five questions:. [(A)] Which types of ecological indicators have been applied and how frequently have they been used? [(B)] In which management context have the indicators been applied? [(C)] Which integrative tools have been utilized to present the results in an aggregated form? [(D)] Has a theory for the application and interpretation of ecological indicators been developed? [(E)] Which are the resulting challenges in indicator development and application? The answers to the first three questions are given in tables and figures, while the fourth question is answered shortly and with references to the key papers that are covering the theoretical considerations behind the application of ecological indicators. Discussing the focal challenges it is foreseen that two theoretical questions will require enhanced attention the coming years: to apply fewer and more general indices and to translate the multitude of indicators to the concept of sustainability that covers the ecological–sociological–economic and political background of the overall indication activities. Furthermore, the general demands for aggregation and integration and an assessment of normative loadings in indicator systems are listed as focal tasks for future development in the field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]