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Ecologically Sustainable Development
Environment Australia, 2002
ISBN 0 642 54771 8
Rationale for inclusion of issue
Along with the atmosphere, oceans and freshwater systems, the state of the land is one of the major factors on which the health of ecosystems depends.
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Catchment condition Index - proportion of assessed catchments that are in moderate or good condition in 2001. |
83% |
Source: National Land and Water Resources Audit (with BRS/CSIRO), Catchment Condition Project, 2001
Rationale for selection of indicator
Catchment Condition Index is a condition assessment framework that has been developed by the NLWRA. It uses a classification system that incorporates available biophysical, river health and production data sets to define catchment condition and to provide an integrated Australia-wide report on the relative condition of catchments within the intensive land use zone.
Explanatory and elaborative information
The catchment condition index is based on 21 indicators measuring land condition, water condition and biotic condition. The purpose is to show relative differences between catchments and to map their distribution. Sub-indices are also calculated to better reflect land, water and biota as separate issues. Catchment Condition Index covers the intensive land-use zone only. The intensive land use zone is about two million square kilometres.
Catchment condition data have been divided into three classes. The catchment size is set at 500km2 and the three classes are based on the distribution where the "good" and "poor" condition catchments form distinct populations.
The data show that 17% of catchments are in poor condition. 83% are in moderate or good condition. About a third of assessed catchments are in good condition and about a half are in moderate condition.