I&I NSW integrated Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Program Plan (summary)

The NSW Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (MER) Strategy was established to focus the resources of NSW natural resource and environment agencies and coordinate their efforts with Catchment Management Authorities, local government, landholders and other natural resource managers to establish a system of monitoring, evaluation and reporting on natural resource condition.

The NSW Government State-wide natural resource condition targets, as described in State Plan Priority E4, provide the structure for the MER program. The MER Strategy was endorsed by the NSW Government in 2006 and is now being revised.

Background

In 2003, the NSW Government launched a new era of natural resource management, based on a professional, outcomes-based approach. Thirteen community-driven Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) were established to deliver natural resource programs at a regional level.

State agencies developed policies and programs to deliver on overarching NRM outcomes.

An independent Natural Resources Commission (NRC) was charged with recommending a State-wide Standard and targets to guide the work of the CMAs. Since then, the NSW Government has adopted the Standard and Targets.

The MER program involves both resource condition monitoring and performance monitoring. It is intended that the MER program will provide an understanding as to whether the overall health of the resource is changing and enable the effectiveness of remedial action in reversing observed trends to be assessed.

Further information about the Strategy's origins and intended outcomes is provided within the Strategy (114 kb, PDF).

Implementation of the Strategy is to occur through two phases. The initial development phase has concluded and the focus is now on confirming indicators and timeframes; and rolling out the Program.

I&I NSW commitments

Investment & Industry NSW (I&I NSW) leads the Marine Waters, Invasive Species and Socio-economic Themes. I&I NSW is not only required to report against indicators within the themes that we lead but also to report on fish populations across the fauna and threatened species, estuaries and coastal lakes, wetland and riverine themes and to report on estuarine macrophytes.

Additionally, I&I NSW has committed to continue Forests NSW corporate monitoring and reporting. I&I NSW has peripheral involvement in several other themes.

I&I NSW's MER activities align with other related State and National Programs, such as the NSW Invasive Species Plan and Sustainable Rivers Audit. They also align with a Strategic Reserve Capacity Building program delivered from Tocal College within I&I NSW.

Organisational arrangements

The Natural Resources Information Needs Committee (NRINC), which comprises agency and CMA representatives, was established to oversee implementation of the Strategy.

NRINC is supported by an interagency Management Group which meets fortnightly by teleconference. The Management Group is supported by thirteen Theme Teams, one for each of the biophysical themes. Each of the Theme Teams is managed by a Theme Leader and theme activities are guided by Implementation Plans. Within I&I NSW, our three Theme Leaders and other I&I NSW MER participants also work together in a co-ordinated way.

The intention is to enable cross-agency data and information delivery to eventually be fully automated and so the program is also supported by separate Information Technology and Reporting themes.

I&I NSW's strengths are in:

establishing cause and effect relationships;
developing methods that can underpin our own monitoring as well as that of CMAs;
developing indices, in addition to individual indicators;
assisting CMAs to develop their monitoring and evaluation both via Tocal College training programs and through the provision of technical advice;
encouraging use of MER products through our extension programs and potentially through decision-support tools. In addition to informing State and Catchment-level decision-making, MER information will sometimes be useful at an enterprise scale or at the scale of a specific development proposal;
value adding to the program through advisory and legislative functions to implement findings, for example by responding to a new biosecurity risk; and,
developing robust IT systems.

MER products

State of the Environment (SoE) report: The SoE report, published by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, is the primary reporting product at the State level for this program. It will be supported by an agency response report which will encompass I&I NSW's activities that influence resource condition.

State of the Catchment reports (SoC): Specific report cards are being developed for all thirteen themes for all thirteen CMAs, with the concept initially piloted with reports for Hunter Central Rivers and Central West CMAs. The report cards comprise information about resource condition, pressures and potentially management responses. The report cards are being developed collaboratively by CMAs and agency theme teams. They are intended to inform CMA investment decisions. The management response sections will be prepared primarily by the CMAs and will focus on CMA management activities. Activities undertaken by local government or agencies, for example, may be added at a later stage. SoC reports are intended to inform local government SoE reporting.

Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC): The MER Program provides advice on the status and trend in resource condition to DPC.

Indicator protocols: The developmental phase of the program has established a set of indicators and the standards and procedures for the use of those indicators, for the themes that require this detail.

Technical reports and scientific papers: The SoE report and the SoC report cards will be supported by scientific reports about how the data for each theme were collected and analysed; and documents about resource condition, pressures and cause-effect relationships will be developed. The interpretation of data collated for the MER Program is likely to lead to scientific findings which will be best documented through published papers.

Related programs

State Plan and Corporate Reporting: The NSW MER program assists agencies to report on their progress towards the targets.

Review of Catchment Action Plans and CMA Investment Programs: The review and audit of CMA products will primarily be the responsibility of the NRC. However, I&I NSW provides formal advice to the NRC, about the general direction of CMA programs and on a target-specific basis.

Working Group activities under the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council: The Working Groups under the NRMMC include Policy and Programs Committee Subgroups (e.g. Climate Change in Agriculture and NRM, Aquatic Ecosystems Task Group, Vertebrate Pests Committee and Australian Weeds Committee); and Marine and Coastal Committee Subgroups (e.g. Marine Biodiversity Decline Working Group). Some of these groups have a specific emphasis on resource condition assessment.

Murray Darling Basin Authority programs: The Sustainable Rivers Audit 2004-2007 (published by the Murray Darling Basin Commission) provides a Nationally-consistent method of assessing fish status. The MDBA now collates information provided by the States, for example about river management and water allocation. Some of this information will also be used to report on NSW indicators and provide ancillary data for the MER program.

National Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement Program: Implementation of the NSW MER Strategy may eventually link to implementation of the National Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement Framework. The National framework is similar to the NSW MER Strategy. However, it does not identify specific targets. Instead it identifies the need to establish long-term outcomes and targets using an assets-based approach.

For information on the contribution by Industry & Investment NSW to the Strategy contact pip.brock@industry.nsw.gov.au