Describes the level of fragmentation of streams—the extent to which streams and rivers are fragmented into unconnected parts—present on land directly or indirectly controlled by the organization as of the end of the reporting period. Report for hectares controlled at any point during the reporting period.
Choose one:
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used, including source(s) of data.
The metric is intended to capture the level of connectivity of streams or rivers on land managed by the organization as of the end of the reporting period. Put inversely, this metric is intended to capture the degree to which rivers and streams are fragmented, which can negatively impact stream health, land health, and biodiversity within ecosystems.
In addition to remote sensing data, organizations may use tools such as WRI's Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas (https://www.wri.org/aqueduct) or WWF-DEG's Water Risk Filter (http://waterriskfilter.panda.org/) to find data on and describe stream connectivity on directly or indirectly managed land.
Assessing stream connectivity helps to understand a project’s contribution to preserving biodiversity, as fragmentation of natural habitat is a primary driver of biodiversity loss. This indicator corresponds to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, which aims to improve biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity.
In some contexts, this metric can serve as an indicator of whether the outcome being sought by an investor or organization is occurring (the WHAT dimension of impact). For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact (https://iris.thegiin.org/document/iris-and-the-five-dimensions/). No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revisions to definition and usage guidance for clarity.
January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
New metric. Level of Stream Connectivity (PI3113) was developed via the IRIS+ Sustainable Water Management Expert Subgroup.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).