In the GEO-2, the only indicator which is used to cover the forest issues is forest extent (UNEP 1999). Table 12 shows that this problem is not covered as well as biodiversity loss. The main difficulty is that indicators are not harmonized, which is especially true for pressure indicators, so it is not possible to compare them.
The pressure indicator area and number of forests damaged by fire is included in the Dobris+3 report (EEA 1998b), and, therefore, reported for a certain number of CEE countries (see Table 12). However, the state indicator total forest area is much more common. It is usually not presented graphically, but only reported as a number or percentage of total state surface. It is also possible to present it on a map, which can, at the same time, show the area of different forest types.
The response indicator regenerated or afforested areas is suggested by the OECD (1993), and has been measured in some CEE countries. A way of presentation is shown in figure 20.
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Indicators present in the SoE reports on the Internet |
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Indicators presented in the Dobris+3, GEO-2, and the OECD Core Set, or reported as measured in CEE countries, but not present on the Internet |
| Indicators not reported as measured in CEE countries, and not covered in the Dobris+3, GEO-2, and OECD Core Set |
Figure 20. Trends in reforestation in Latvia. A good example of how the total reforested area and trends in reforestation can be observed. From: SoE Latvia (1998). URL: http://www.vkmc.vdc.lv/soe96/Resources/forest. html#regenerat. Sorces: State Forest Service & State Forest Inventory Institute. Back
The Nature issue, presented in this section, is related to the Socio-Economic Developments issue (agriculture and forestry as main causes of habitat loss), as well as to the Land issue through land use changes (see section 4.3). It is also possible to see a connection between forest degradation and acidification, bearing in mind the adverse impact of acid precipitation on forests, especially in Central Europe. The indicator coverage of the Nature issue is satisfactory, although some efforts on indicator harmonization are necessary to provide international comparison of SoE reports.