SOCIOECOLOGICAL INDICATORS FOR SUSTAINABILITY

A systematic framework of indicators for sustainability is presented. In our approach there is an emphasis on societal activities that affec t nature and on the internal societal resource use, as opposed to envi ronmental quality indicators. In this way the indicators may give a wa rning signal to an unsustainable use of resources early in the chain f rom causes in societal activities to environmental effects. The aim is that these socio-ecological indicators shall serve as a tool in plann ing and decision-making processes at various administrative levels in society. The formulation of the indicators is made with respect to fou r principles of sustainability, which lead to four complementary sets of indicators. The first deals with the societal use of lithospheric m aterial. The second deals with emissions of compounds produced in soci ety. The third set of indicators concerns societal manipulation of nat ure and the long-term productivity of ecosystems. Finally, the fourth set deals with the efficiency of the internal societal resource use, w hich includes indicators for a just distribution of resources.