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Mountains and the SDG indicator framework

21.06.2017

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted the indicator framework developed by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals indicators, as contained in the draft resolution on the ‘Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. The indicator framework contains indicator 15.4.2, the Mountain Green Cover Index, which measures progress towards the achievement of SDG 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”. The resolution will be transmitted to the UN General Assembly for adoption.

The adoption of the indicator framework took place during the Coordination and Management Meeting of ECOSOC on 7 June 2017. During the meeting, delegates considered the report of the 48th session of the UN Statistical Commission, which contains the draft resolution. The draft resolution reaffirms the pledge that no one will be left behind in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes mountain peoples and environments.

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is the custodian agency of target 15.4 and therefore developed the official indicator for monitoring progress towards the achievement of this target. The Mountain Green Cover Index is designed to measure changes of the green vegetation in mountain areas – i.e. forest, shrubs, trees, pasture land, crop land, etc. – in order to monitor progress on the mountain target. The Index will provide information on the changes in the vegetation cover and an indication of the status of the conservation of mountain environments.

“The adoption of the Mountain Green Cover Index vis-à-vis the adoption of the indicator framework is significant because it underlines the integrated and indivisible nature of the SDGs and targets. The goals set out in the 2030 Agenda cannot be achieved without also considering mountain peoples and environments,” said Rosalaura Romeo of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat.

The 2017 baseline data for the Mountain Green Cover Index is now available online here. The FAO Forestry Department in collaboration with the Mountain Partnership Secretariat has also developed a new brochure presenting the three forest- and mountain-related indicators under SDG 15 for which FAO is the custodian agency, including 15.4.2.

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Photo: FAO/Ricardo Dominguez