Indicators in the study sites

Table of Contents

1. Compilers and contributors
2. Introduction
3. Climate indicators
4. Water indicators
5. Soil indicators
6. Vegetation indicators
7. Water runoff indicators
8. Forest fires indicators
9. Agriculture indicators
10. Cultivation indicators
11. Animal husbandry indicators
12. Land management indicators
13. Land use indicators
14. Water use indicators
15. Tourism indicators
16. Human characteristics indicators
17. Institutional indicators
    1. Subsidies
    2. Protected areas
    3. Policy enforcement
18. Conclusions
19. References

Institutional indicators

Institutional indicators can be identified as the formal and informal mechanisms including all kinds of policy-relevant societal decision-making processes. The concept of institutional indicators can be considered at different levels, from the micro level of individual decision-making to the macro level of national politics and international regimes (DIS4ME system). The following two functions can be considered as specific for institutional organization to protect land resources: (a) facilitation, at community and individual level, decision-making processes directed towards a more sustainable use of resources; and (b) implementation of political decisions directed to protect land resources. These functions can be improved by local community involvement in the definition of the institutional framework, using a participatory approach that engages stakeholders in identifying priorities and creating programmes and actions to protect land resources. Such priorites can been distinguished in reorganization of the environmental disparity, promotion of sustainable development, and implementation of innovative environmental policies. The following institutional indicators have been defined for the purpose of the DESIRE project: (a) subsidies, (b) protected areas, and (c) policy enforcement of existing regulations.

Table 15. Number of field sites in which indicators related to institutional characteristics was recorded in the filled questionnaires