Indicator Name

Indicator Description

Land use and Settlement Patterns

This set of indicators is related to the general pattern of land use, with more emphasis on human settlement pattern. Possible sub-indicators are:

· Land use types

· Human settlements (area)

· Infrastructure

· Abandoned land

Vegetation Cover

This indicator focuses on the loss of natural vegetation cover in a country with implied impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.

Other related sub-indicators may be:

· Vegetation Index

· Forest cover (area)

· Plant composition

Loss Cover

This measures the rate of loss or gain of natural vegetation cover in countries. A related indicator is:

· Deforestation and afforestation

Fragmentation of Land and Habitat

This is an alternative measure for pressure on ecosystems resulting from fragmentation into discontinuous pieces. It also relates to habitat disturbance and degradation. A related indicator is:

· Forest fragmentation (metrics)

Degradation

This indicator highlights the breakdown of ecosystems which leads to decreasing biodiversity, soil quality, resilience against natural events and the assimilative capacity of the environment. This may include:

· Erosion and soil loss

· Runoff rate

· Soil salinization and fertility (organic matter)

Topography

This set of indicators considers the impact of terrain properties such as:

· Elevation

· Slope

· Aspect

Water

This set of indicators is related to the availability and quality of water, such as:

· Water quality

· Water availability and requirements

· Flooding severity and occurrence