Progress on National Indicator Systems Theodore Heintz White House Council on Environmental Quality Dave Radloff U.S. Forest Service

This Presentation Will Cover: The Key National Indicator Initiative Federal interagency efforts to develop a national system of indicators on natural and environmental resources The Integration and Synthesis Group

The Key National Indicator Initiative GAO Congress National Academies’ Key National Indicators Initiative Private Sources ? $$ Key National Indicators On the Environment, The Economy, and People Environmental Indicator Group Economic Indicator Group Social Indicator Group Key National Indicators Institute? ?? Collabor- ative Process Steering Committee National Coordinating Committee (Stakeholders)

The Interagency Indicator Effort White House CEQ Interagency Indicator Coordination Federal Agencies National System of Indicators on Natural And Environmental Resources Key Indicators Stakeholders & Experts Stakeholders & Experts Roundtables: Forests, Rangelands Minerals, Water Heinz Center State of the Nation’s Ecosystems $$ Private Sources $$ Collabor- ative Process

Information Pyramid More Integration and Distillation Less Integration and Distillation Public Discourse Monitoring Data Key Indicators Policy, Planning and Management Indicators

A Desirable Convergence National System of Indicators on Natural And Environmental Resources Key Indicators On the Environment, The Economy, and People Start by developing a common catalog of candidate indicators. Also develop a shared collaborative process for selecting indicators. Key National Indicators

Developing a Common Catalog Draw on the SFM C&I and the C&I from other roundtables, the EPA and the Heinz Center; fill gaps from other sources. The leaders of the Heinz Center effort will lead the KNII Environmental Indicators Group. The CEQ will coordinate efforts among the Federal agencies and the roundtables to support both efforts.

Organizing Indicators in the Catalog Bring indicators from separate projects together into a comprehensive and integrated national system of indicators. Use common frameworks to group similar indicators from different projects together. Use the ISG Framework as well as others.

Environmental SubsystemHuman Subsystem Earth’s Ecosystem Tier 0 – ISG Conceptual Framework

Current Environmental Conditions Natural Resource Capital Social Capacity & Economic Capital Current Human Conditions State t 0 Processes Current Environmental Conditions Natural Resource Capital Social Capacity & Economic Capital Current Human Conditions Environmental & Natural Resource Processes Social & Economic Processes Time State t 1 Evaluation of Sustainability Tier 1 - ISG Conceptual Framework Interactions Environmental Subsystem Human Subsystem

Current Environmental Conditions Natural Resource Capital Social Capacity & Economic Capital Current Human Conditions State t 0 Processes Current Environmental Conditions Natural Resource Capital Social Capacity & Economic Capital Current Human Conditions Environmental & Natural Resource Processes Social & Economic Processes Time State t 1 Evaluation of Sustainability Tier 1a - Conceptual Framework Environmental Subsystem Human Subsystem Human Alterations And Discharges Ecosystem Services

Initial Environmental Conditions Initial Natural Resource Capital Initial Social Capacity And Economic Capital Initial Human Conditions New Human Conditions New Social Capacity And Economic Capital New Natural Resource Capital New Environmental Conditions Interaction with Tangible Env. Events Interaction with Intangible Env. Attributes Land cover, land form and water flow alterations; Waste discharges; Biota transport Processes Producing Tangible Environmental Outputs Processes Producing Intangible Environmental Attributes Processes Producing Tangible Environmental Events Underlying Environmental Processes: Atmospheric Hydrologic Biologic/ Ecologic Geologic Investment, Use of Goods And Services Air, Water. Climate, Plants, Animals Soil, Microbes, Rocks Air, Water. Climate Plants, Animals Soil, Microbes, Rocks Production of Economic Goods and Services Extraction Flow of Tangible Environmental Outputs Flow of Intangible Environ. Attributes Flow of Tangible Environmental Events Environmental SubsystemHuman Subsystem Tier 2 – ISG Conceptual Framework Biomass, Water, Minerals Biomass, Water, Minerals Economic Assets & Liabilities Social Opportunities & Constraints Values & Norms Income, Health, Security Economic Assets & Liabilities Social Opportunities & Constraints Values & Norms Income, Health, Security Demographic, Cultural, Governance’ Legal, Market, Interaction, Family, Education Underlying Social And Economic Processes:

Putting the SFM C&I Into the ISG Framework Environmental Condition Indicators –Plants: Number and status of species –Animals: Numbers and status of species –Soils: Area with erosion and area with diminished organic matter Natural Resource Capital Indicators –Area of forest available for timber production –Total growing stock

More SFM C&I Examples Underlying Environmental Processes –Absorption and release of carbon Economic Processes Indicators –Annual removal of timber and non-timber products –Value and volume of wood and non-wood products –Value of investment

More SFM C&I Examples Human Condition Indicators –Wages –Injury rates Economic Capital Indicators –Recreation facilities –Physical infrastructure Social Capacity Indicators –R&D Capacity for scientific knowledge –Forest inventory and monitoring capacity

Putting the SRR C&I Into the ISG Framework Environmental Condition Indicators –Plants: Number and distribution of species –Animals: Numbers and distribution of species –Soils: Area with erosion and area with diminished organic matter Natural Resource Capital Indicators –Area of rangeland grazed by livestock –Rangeland above ground biomass

More SRR C&I Examples Underlying Environmental Processes –Microbial activity in rangeland soils Economic Processes Indicators –Annual removal of native hay and non-forage plant materials –Value of forage harvested by livestock –Value of investments

More SRR C&I Examples Human Condition Indicators –Income by work location –Poverty rates Social Capacity Indicators –Social structure quality –Land tenure, use and ownership –R&D programs for rangeland conservation –Measuring and monitoring capacity