Land use as an indicator represents the use and management of space and land as basic natural resource. Land use is the result of natural conditions, needs, socio-economic development of society and historical conditions. Thus, in the last two to three decades in Slovenia, the development of society and the country's integration into the EU have had a much greater impact. Industrialization and changes in urban development and transport are reflected in the growing areas occupied by these sectors in Slovenia.

The change in land use is represented by the change in land occupied by land use categories in 2002 and 2018, which are included in the regularly updated land use database of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF, 2002-2018). Indicator KM10 is divided into four sub-indicators:

·         KM10-1: Structure of agricultural land use in the Republic of Slovenia in 2018.

·         KM10-2: Change in agricultural land by type of use in 2009-2018.

·         KM10-3: Urbanization of land by type of use in the period 2009-2018.

·         KM10-4: Soil quality of urbanized land in the period 2002-2018.

In addition to the basic categories (see Methodology section), an analysis of urbanization of land, i.e. land converted from other land uses to urban, i.e. built-up and related land, was also undertaken (Figure KM10-3).

The term urbanization of land refers to the expansion of urban areas into adjacent, agricultural, forestry or (semi)natural land uses. Urbanization is mostly a negative process for soil. It encompasses a wide range of soil degradation (complete sealing, mixing, compaction, pollution) that alters the soil, reduces the soil's ability to perform agricultural and ecological functions, affects the cycling of materials and energy in the environment, and, often polluted, poses a risk to human health. Physical removal or sealing represents the destruction of soil and thus the permanent reduction of the environmental functions of soil. As urban the following is considered:

i)     Land adjacent to buildings that is altered to a greater or lesser extent during construction (e.g. removal of upper A horizons or mixed horizons - the quality of such soils is usually significantly reduced) is considered to be built on; and

ii)    'covered' land with, for example, canopies and bridges that reduce the performance of soil ecological functions.

Fully built-up land is land that is covered by a building or infrastructure facility - the soil now only performs the function of a supporting medium) and the soil has been stripped down to the topsoil (quarries, gravel pits, clay pits).

Urbanization of soil reduces the ability to provide at least one of the essential ecological soil services (biomass production and nutrient cycling, filtration/purification of surface and meteoric water, decomposition and sequestration binding of pollutants, retention and sequestration of atmospheric CO₂), and development usually terminates these services.

Soil quality is a complex indicator that defines in one number the essential property of soil - fertility and at the same time the ability to provide soil ecosystem services. Soil quality is defined by the average soil quality index (SQI), expressed in points ranging from 1 (worst) to 100 (best). SQI is therefore a reflection of the assessment of agricultural and ecological soil quality.