Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:
1) In cooperation with the relevant authorities and community-level stakeholders, define what criteria need to be met for the affected land to be considered as “effectively protected” against further degradation. You will likely need to define several different sets of criteria, each for a specific part of the affected land (pastures, eroded fields, (semi-)forested areas, etc.). For each set, decide whether all criteria must be met or whether only some are mandatory while the others are desired only.
2) For each part/ type of assessed land, prepare simple transect walk checklists including the predefined criteria and train the survey staff in their use (the staff should be specialists in natural resources management).
3) Conduct key informant interviews with relevant authorities, extension workers and members of local natural resources management (NRM) groups to "identify all the areas reported as “under protection” (skip this step if, thanks to your long-term presence in the target areas, you are aware of their locations).
4) Let the NRM specialists (your survey team members) conduct transect walks and record, in the pre-designed checklists (step 2), whether the areas meet the criteria (see step 1) required for being classified as “effectively protected”. For each area, conclude whether it is “effectively protected” or not. The transect walks should be conducted together with the local community members and representatives.
5) Use GPS measurements or topographic maps to measure the size of the areas that were classified as “effectively protected”.
6) To calculate the indicator’s value, sum up the sizes of individual areas that are effectively protected.
