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Core set of national environmental indicators

As it is not possible to continuously measure every aspect of the environment, environmental reporting in many countries relies on using a range of indicators to measure and report on the overall health of the environment in a cost-effective and meaningful way. Environmental indicators also track trends over time and between places.

As in other countries, New Zealand’s environmental reporting programme makes use of environmental indicators to provide key information required for policy-making and natural resource management, and provide the best representation of the information available on high-priority issues for the environment.

The Ministry’s core set of national environmental indicators comprises 66 variables which report on 22 indicators across ten key environmental domains (air, atmosphere, biodiversity, consumption, energy, fresh water, land, oceans, transport and waste).

The core indicators were selected from a wider set of 160 indicators developed by the Ministry through its earlier Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI) programme. These were developed according to international best practice, and selected through a process that included extensive consultation with reporting partners and information users.

A set of standard criteria were used to select the core set of indicators - indicators were assessed as to how nationally significant, relevant, measurable and statistically sound, simple and easily understood, cost effective, and internationally comparable they were. The criteria closely align with international best practice (for example, drawing on work by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Environment Agency). They also closely echo the criteria used in other national-scale indicator reporting undertaken in New Zealand (for example, the criteria used to select the social indicators in use by the Ministry of Social Development).

The core set of national environmental indicators is provided below, along with their associated variables.

Domain	National environmental indicator	What is measured in order to report on this indicator? (known as the 'variables')
Air	Air quality	The national environmental indicator for air provides information on concentrations of the following air pollutants in managed airsheds: PM₁₀ nitrogen dioxide carbon monoxide sulphur dioxide ground-level ozone.
Atmosphere	Greenhouse gases	There are two national environmental indicators for atmosphere. The first provides information on emissions and removals of greenhouse gases. In order to report on this indicator, emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons into the atmosphere are estimated, as well as the amount of greenhouse gas emissions removed from the atmosphere as a result of absorption by forestry.
Atmosphere	Stratospheric ozone	The second indicator provides information on concentrations of stratospheric ozone (average yearly ozone levels over New Zealand).
Biodiversity	Native land cover	There are two national environmental indicators for biodiversity. The first indicator provides information on native land cover. In order to report on this indicator, the following are measured: area of native land cover by Land Cover Database (LCDB) class area of native land cover by Land Environments of New Zealand (LENZ) class area of native land cover under legal protection.
Biodiversity	Indicator species	The second indicator provides information on the distribution of selected native plants and animals. In order to report on this indicator, the distribution of the following selected native indicator species is measured: lesser short tailed bat kiwi kaka kokako yellowhead wrybill Dactylanthus.
Consumption	Household consumption expenditure	Household consumption expenditure is a proxy measure of the pressure that households place on the environment through their consumption. It reports how much money households spend on a variety of goods and services. These goods and services can be grouped into various categories. The national environmental indicator for household consumption provides information on household consumption expenditure. In order to report on the indicator, data on expenditure is presented against the following seven expenditure categories: food and beverages clothing and footwear housing household goods and services transport hotels and restaurants other goods and services.
Energy	Energy supply	There are two national environmental indicators for energy. The first provides information on energy supply. In order to report on the indicator, the following are measured: total primary energy supply (by fuel type) electricity generation (by fuel type).
Energy	Energy demand	The second indicator provides information on energy demand. In order to report on the indicator, the following are measured: total consumer energy demand (by fuel type and by sector) consumer energy demand compared to gross domestic product.
Fresh water	River water quality	There are five national environmental indicators for fresh water. The first provides information on water quality in rivers. In order to report on this indicator, the following are measured: nutrients (total and dissolved concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus including nitrate, ammoniacal nitrogen and dissolved reactive phosphorus) bacteria (E. coli) visual clarity water temperature dissolved oxygen macroinvertebrates (Macroinvertebrate Community Index (MCI) and/or per cent of pollution sensitive taxa (%EPT)).
	Lake water quality	The second freshwater indicator provides information on water quality in lakes. In order to report on this indicator, the following is measured: Trophic Level Index (TLI) which comprises measurements of: total nitrogen total phosphorus visual clarity algal biomass.
	Groundwater quality	The third freshwater indicator provides information on water quality in groundwater. In order to report on this indicator, the following are measured: nitrate bacteria (E. coli).
	Recreational water quality	The fourth freshwater indicator provides information on water quality at swimming spots in rivers, streams and lakes. In order to report on this indicator, concentrations of bacteria (E. coli) are measured.
	Freshwater demand	The fifth freshwater indicator provides information on freshwater demand. In order to report on this indicator, the volumes of water allocated to human uses are measured. This is also known as total (consumptive) water allocation.
Land	Land cover	There are four national environmental indicators for land. The first indicator provides information on land cover across nine land cover classes: exotic forest exotic shrubland native forest native vegetation other native land cover primarily horticulture high-producing exotic grassland low producing grassland artificial surfaces.
	Land use	The second indicator provides information on land use across 18 land-use classes and four land-cover classes: dairy intensive sheep and beef hill-country sheep and beef high-country sheep and beef deer other animals ungrazed urban planted forest arable crops vegetables berryfruit pipfruit grapes summer fruit tropical fruit kiwifruit flowers tussock native forest rivers, lakes, snow, and ice scrub.
	Soil health	The third indicator provides information on soil health. In order to report on the third indicator, the following chemical, biological and physical soil properties: total carbon content total nitrogen content pH in water olsen phosphate mineralisable nitrogen macroporosity are measured across seven major land-use categories: arable cropping mixed cropping drystock pasture dairy pasture tussock grasslands exotic forestry native forests.
	Erosion risk	The fourth indicator provides information on hill country areas at risk from soil erosion. In order to report on this indicator, pasture on erosion-prone hill country is measured, by three categories of erosion potential: severe very severe extreme.
Oceans	Marine areas with legal protection	There are three national environmental indicators for oceans. The first indicator provides information on marine areas with legal protection. In order to report on this indicator, the following are measured: the proportion of New Zealand’s territorial sea in marine reserve the proportion of each class of the Coastal Biogeographic Regions Classification protected by marine reserve.
	Fishing activity	The second indicator provides information on fisheries effort. In order to report on this indicator, the following are measured: Fish stocks under the Quota Management System, including: total commercial catch (by weight) from fish caught both inside and outside of the Quota Management System the status of assessed fish stocks under the Quota Management System. Seabed trawling in deep waters, including: the area ‘swept’ by commercial trawlers required to report position by latitude and longitude the types of fish expected to be found in areas that have been swept.
	Recreational water quality	The third indicator provides information on water quality at coastal swimming spots. In order to report on this indicator, concentrations of bacteria (enterococci) at coastal swimming spots are measured.
Transport	Vehicle-kilometres travelled (VKT) by road	The national environmental indicator for transport provides information on vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) by road. In order to report on the indicator, VKT is measured: by fuel type (petrol or diesel) by vehicle age by vehicle type.
Waste	Solid waste disposal	The national environmental indicator for waste provides information on: the quantity (by weight) of solid waste sent to landfill the composition of solid waste sent to landfill.

Each of these 22 indicators has a different reporting frequency. Where possible the indicators are updated regularly (mostly annually) in the form of an environmental report card.

Last updated: February 2009