Monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation is about identifying and collecting information to determine if natural resource management (NRM) activities produce the desired results. It helps:
- identify what works, and what activities should continue
- improve actions where they are less effective
- change actions if they are ineffective
State, territory and Australian governments, together with community groups, industry and landholders are investing large sums to repair and conserve our natural environment and ensure the sustainable use of the nation's natural resources. The Natural Heritage Trust (the Trust) and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP) are two major Australian Government NRM programmes supporting this work.
The Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, which includes representatives of the Australian Government and all states and territory governments, was established to develop a coordinated approach to issues affecting natural resource management in Australia. The Council endorsed two national level documents to help set targets, monitor, evaluate and report on natural resource management. These documents are the:
- National Framework for Natural Resource Management Standards and Targets (under review)
- National Natural Resource Management Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (under review)
A users' guide to these documents provides background information and helps interpret the national framework.
A set of Resource Condition Indicators was developed to provide more detail on how to monitor each 'matter for target' set out in the National Framework for Natural Resource Management Standards and Targets. These indicators were either agreed as potential measures or provided for advice as possible measures. The National Land and Water Resources Audit (the Audit) is responsible for coordinating the collection of data and information against the national matters for targets and the relevant resource indicators. It has established National Coordinating Committees or technical advisory groups to test and refine these indicators and to provide guidance on the most practical and effective set of measures to be used. You can find more details of progress with further development of the resource condition indicators on the Audit's web site.
The Audit has also developed a toolkit to provide guidance on appropriate data and information management systems.
CSIRO has prepared a framework and guidelines on the use of indicators for environmental management. This provides a general guide to the identification, development and use of good indicators. It provides a good starting point for natural resource managers and others interested in using indicators to capture knowledge, guide actions and measure success.
- A guidebook to Environmental Indicators (CSIRO 1999)
Evaluations
Ten National evaluations of the Trust and the NAP were commissioned by the Natural Heritage Ministerial Board in late 2004 and early 2005. All ten evaluations are complete and reports are available for nine.
Regional evaluations, conducted each financial year, summarise and evaluate the developments occurring in the delivery of the NAP and the Trust through Australia's 56 natural resource management regions.
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