Environmental indicators and sustained development

Abstract

The analysis and evaluation of environmental indicators are essential for zoning formulations. Development may only be sustained on the environment´s support capacity, since the environmental system is similar to a living system that needs air, energy and substance and, at the same time, excretes materials and technologies. The balance of these inputs and outputs, between the natural and anthropic systems, will determine the quality indicators of the environmental systems as a whole. The dynamic “balance†between the environment and the ever-changing processes must be taken into consideration. For the comprehension of this complex metabolism, the integration of data, knowledge, techniques, researches, sectors and organs is required. Research and techniques on the different indicators are being worked out in many institutions, although data are dispersed and centralized