Indicator 15.4.2 Mountain Green Cover Index

Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Target 15.4: By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development

Indicator 15.4.2:: (a) Mountain Green Cover Index and (b) proportion of degraded mountain land

Sub-indicator 15.4.2a, Mountain Green Cover Index (MGCI), is designed to measure the extent and changes of green cover - i.e. forest, shrubs, trees, pasture land, cropland, etc. – in mountain areas. MGCI is defined as the percentage of green cover over the total surface of the mountain area of a given country and for given reporting year. The aim of the index is to monitor the evolution of green cover and thus assess the status of conservation of mountain ecosystems.

Sub-indicator 15.4.2b, Proportion of degraded mountain land, is designed to monitor the extent of degraded mountain land as a result of land cover change in a given country and for given reporting year. Similarly to sub-indicator ‘‘trends in land cover” under SDG Indicator 15.3.1 (Sims et al. 2021), mountain ecosystem degradation and recovery is assessed based on the definition of land cover type transitions that indicate improving, stable or degrading conservation status. The definition of degradation adopted for the computation of this indicator is the one established Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).