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Africa Environment Information Network Factsheet 1
Development of an Indicator Strategy for State of Environment Assessment and Reporting in Southern Africa
The environment is a source of natural capital and a sink for by-products generated during farming, industrial manufacturing and other human activities.
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Indicator contribution to SoE reporting
The development of environmental indicators is designed to assist in addressing environmental conditions in SADC Member States, but also for integration into regional and global processes and reports. Indicators define the state of the environment but also provide a detailed analysis of the interaction of the environment with social and economic sectors.
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Purpose for indicator development
The environment is dynamic, and requires regular monitoring and assessment through a set of appropriate indicators. Population growth is a key pressure in shaping the state of the environment, often impacting on water scarcity and pollution, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and urban sprawl. (Zimmermann, 1995)
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Indicator development processes
The development of environmental indicators at the global level started in the late 1980s, pioneered mainly by the Canadian and Dutch governments. Following a G-7 Economic Summit in 1989, the OECD was tasked to develop environmental indicators, and other efforts by the World Resources Institute (WRI), United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) ensued.
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Steps in developing indicators
The initial stages in the indicator development process include the recognition of broad societal goals related to environmental sustainability, the determination of themes, and environmental and social issues that have significant impacts on the environment.
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Challenges
Although significant progress has been made by various southern African countries in data collection processes, the housing of environmental information by different institutions and the lack of data-sharing policies are major drawbacks. This situation is made worse by a general lack of a systematic approach to data generation. Lack of budgetary support for both data collection and the general SoE reporting limits the acquisition, processing, and storage of environmental data, and is not a priority for most governments.
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Opportunities
During the course of the data-verification and gapfilling exercise a number of important lessons were identified, including:
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Conclusion
Environmental indicators represent powerful tools for assessing the state of the environment. The development of environmental indicators involves stakeholders from a wider background
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