An emerging trend in some OECD countries is the increasing use of fixed charges alongside volumetric components, or the progressive increase in the weight of fixed charges in the overall bill. Water pricing is also increasingly complemented by a range of other approaches, including abstraction and pollution charges, tradable water permits, smart metering, water reuse and innovation. Many forest resources are threatened by overexploitation, fragmentation, degradation of environmental quality and conversion to other ty pes of land use.