## 4 Hazards Analysis
### Desertification Hazard Assessment
#### 4.4.4 The Management Quality Index (MQI)  
The Management Quality Index (MQI) evaluates how human activities and policy implementation affect land stability and the risk of soil degradation. It is calculated as the geometric mean of two parameters: land-use intensity and the level of environmental protection policies related to soil conservation. The formula used is:  
MQI = (Land-Use Intensity \(\times\) Environmental Protection Policy)^(1/2)  
These two factors reflect how land is being used and whether effective policies are in place to prevent erosion and promote sustainable management. The use of the geometric mean ensures a balanced combination of both components, reducing the effect of any extreme value. Based on the resulting MQI value, land is classified into three categories:  
* High management quality: MQI \(\leq\) 1.25;
* Medium management quality: 1.25 \(<\) MQI \(<\) 1.5;
* Low management quality: MQI \(\geq\) 1.5. On Lefkas Island (Tables 8 and 9; Figure 17), land-use intensity is generally moderate, with an assigned value of 1.5, suggesting that human activity is present but not excessive--neither highly urbanized nor heavily exploited. In parallel, the implementation of environmental protection policies across most of the island is rated as high (value: 1), indicating that soil conservation measures and sustainable practices are widely adopted. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c} \hline \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Fire Risk**} \\ \hline
**Description** & **Wildfire Risk Index** \\ Low risk & 1 \\ Medium risk & 1.3 \\ High risk & 1.6 \\ Very high risk & 2 \\ \hline
**Description** & **Vegetation Rate Index** \\ High & 1 \\ Medium & 1.8 \\ Low & 2 \\ \hline
**Description** & **Protection From Erosion** \\ Very high & 1.0 \\ High & 1.3 \\ Medium & 1.6 \\ Low & 1.8 \\ Very low & 2.0 \\ \hline
**Description** & **Drought Tolerance** \\ Very high & 1.0 \\ High & 1.2 \\ Medium & 1.4 \\ Low & 1.7 \\ Very low & 2.0 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 7: Parameter ranking used to obtain the VQI [44]. These conditions place the island's management quality in the moderate range overall, with some areas showing room for improvement through better land-use planning or stronger enforcement of environmental regulations. Overall, Lefkas Island displays a varied landscape quality profile when evaluated through the Soil (SQI), Vegetation (VQI), Climate (CQI), and Management (MQI) indices. Soil quality is generally low, mainly due to steep slopes and shallow soil depth, despite favorable factors such as good granulometric composition and coarse material content. Vegetation quality is moderate, supported by high vegetation cover and good drought  
Figure 17: Spatial distribution of factors used to evaluate the Management Quality Index (MQI). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Land Use** & **Land-Use Intensity** & **Management Policy** \\ \hline Artificial surfaces–beaches–dunes–sands & 5 & 5 \\ Non-arable land & 1.5 & 1.5 \\ Vineyards & 1.5 & 1.5 \\ Olive groves & 1.5 & 1.5 \\ Complex cultivation patterns & 1.5 & 1.5 \\ Land with significant areas of & 1.5 & 1 \\ natural vegetation & 1.5 & 1 \\ Rural–forest areas & 1 & 1 \\ Broad-leaved forest & 1.5 & 1 \\ Coniferous forest & 1 & 1.5 \\ Mixed forest & 1 & 1.5 \\ Natural grasslands & 1.5 & 1.5 \\ Sclerophyllous vegetation & 1.5 & 1.5 \\ Transitional woodland-shrub & 1.5 & 1.5 \\ Sparsely vegetated areas & 1.5 & 1.5 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 8: Land-use classification and ranking used to obtain the MQI [44].