Goal 5: Safeguard Environmental Health

Protect and enhance environmental conditions by improving watershed, floodplain, and aquatic condition and processes.

Objectives

Practice, promote, improve, and expand environmental stewardship
Maintain and increase watershed protection through conservation activities and investments
Protect aquatic, floodplain, and riparian biotic communities

Associated Indicators

Upstream Protected Lands (WRI)

Upstream protected land measures the percentage of total water supply that originates from protected ecosystems. Modified land use can affect the health of freshwater ecosystems and have severe downstream impacts on both water quality and quantity. The World Resources Institute used this indicator in the Aqueduct 2.0 project.

Water Recycling and Stream Flow

Increase measurable benefit in in-stream flows from water recycling and conservation. Re-using and conserving water has the desired outcome of directly benefiting aquatic ecosystems.

Water Recycling and Stream Flow

Increase measurable benefit in in-stream flows from water recycling and conservation. Re-using and conserving water has the desired outcome of directly benefiting aquatic ecosystems.

Water Scarcity Index

Water scarcity is a function of water availability and water use. This index is used by the global Environmental Protection Index and represents the over-use of water in a region.

Water Stress Index

Water stress index is typically defined as the relationship between total water use and water availability. The closer water use is to water supply, the more likely stress will occur in natural and human systems. This indicator has been used by the United Nations and others.