This inventory was compiled to assist community groups to find information on natural resource monitoring techniques, and on monitoring and evaluating their vegetation projects.
Project Monitoring
Participatory Evaluation for Landcare and Catchment Groups: A Guide for Facilitators
1998 J.Woodhill & L.Robins, Greening Australia. Available from Environment Australia Community Information Unit Ph 1800 803 772. Facilitator's guide to help groups improve project monitoring and evaluation. Includes: what is Monitoring and Evaluation and participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, reasons for it, a four-step model, making evaluation a community activity, structuring an evaluation, and a toolkit, such as tips on facilitation and logistics. 54pp.
Setting up for Success - a guide for designing, managing and evaluating projects
1997 P.Coupland, J.Jackson, R.Lang, K.Margo, N.Moore, R.Roberts, & J.Ryan. Available from EA Community Information Unit Ph 1800 803 772. Developed by the National Landcare Program Evaluation Coordinators. User friendly guide with: what are we trying to achieve?, planning, tracking progress, and how did we go? Contains a list of further Monitoring and Evaluation resources. Approx 20pp.
Inventory - Monitoring and Evaluation Techniques for Natural Heritage Trust Projects, NHT, Draft Feb 1999
Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Dept of Primary Industries SA, Ph (08) 8303 9513 (always draft to allow for intermittent updating). Includes tables with issues and lists of possible evaluation. Describes techniques, method, cost, time and further information. Covers photo points, flora and fauna surveys, water quality, aerial photography, soil condition, training activities. 41pp. References mainly SA.
Draft Guidelines for Monitoring a Bushcare Project
Feb 1999 H.Washington & J.Molloy, Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Trust (HNCMT). Available electronically or in hard copy from HNCMT Ph (02) 4577 4243. Project site checklists, and monitoring techniques (mapping, aerial photo interpretation, vegetation structure, foliage cover, use of transects and quadrats), with glossary. 44pp. Covers Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment, NSW, adaptable to other regions.
Self-Help Evaluation Framework for Integrated Catchment Management
CSIRO and Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation
Available for $20 plus $4 postage from Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia bookshop Ph 1800 020 157. Guided questions on purpose, indicators, solutions, targets, activities, monitoring and review. Intended at local catchment to national level, useful as a checklist of ICM issues. 75pp. Background information 12pp.
Goal Attainment Scaling - various papers and information
Dept of Primary Industries and Resources, SA. Contact Michael Malavazos,
Ph (08) 846 33 245 email: malavazos.michael@saugov.sa.gov.au or visit the web site: www.mines.sa.gov.au/petrol/enviro_main.htm . Description and examples of Goal Attainment Scaling - a tool for establishing goals and criteria for measuring and reporting on attainment of goals.
An example of Goal Attainment Scaling applied to a hypothetical revegetation project
Bushcare program, Environment Australia.. Available from the NRM Branch,
Ph (02) 6274 1111. Simple example developed for the Green Corps program. 2pp.
Monitoring & Evaluation Workshop, 1999
Queensland NHT Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (Dept of Environment and Heritage; Dept of Natural Resources). Available from Environment Australia, NRM Branch, Ph (02) 6274 1111. Manual for participants of Qld M&E workshops - what is M&E, how it fits with project management, benefits, goals, matching measures to goals, planning, methods, recording sheets and bibliography. 16pp. Contains monitoring sheets covering multi-purpose recording, water, vegetation, wildlife and group M&E. 31pp.
Every Day Evaluation on the Run, 2nd Edition
1997 Y.Wadsworth, for the Action Research Issues Association Inc. Available from: any bookshop; the Action Research Issues Centre Melbourne,
Ph (03) 9650 6963; or Allen & Unwin, 9 Atchison St, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Ph (02) 9901 4088, email: frontdesk@allen-unwin.com.au, web site:
www.allen-unwin.com.au . Detailed, easy to follow book, helps evaluate with examples. Describes concepts and principles, why and how to evaluate. Includes what evaluation is, the evaluative cycle, open inquiry and audit review, developing a culture of evaluation, models, techniques, and further reading. Includes evaluating newsletter/s useful for community groups. 115pp.
Performance Indicators for Community Organisations
1990 T.Mayo for NSW Council of Social Service. Available from ACT Government Service Library. Small book describing performance indicators - what they are, relationship to objectives, use, problems, and how to develop them. Includes examples. 35pp.
General
Natural Resource Monitoring Guide; A practical guide for detecting changes occurring at the property or catchment level
1999, Compiled by M.Smith, Qld Dept of Natural Resources (DNR)
Available for $15 or $12 for educational purposes (or $10 for more copies) from Land Centre, DNR, Locked Bag 40, Coorparoo DC Qld 4151, Ph (07) 3896 3216, email: jarretthr@dnr.qld.gov.au. Detailed guide covering: monitoring process, pre-monitoring and assessment of soil and land processes, native vegetation and wildlife, pests, pasture condition, rainfall, climate, watercourses and water quality. Colour with photographs and recording sheets. 154pp. Covers Qld, can be applied elsewhere.
Aspects of Catchment Health: Draft Monitoring and Assessment Manual for the Community (Still in early draft form; feedback welcome)
Project manager -D.Love for the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Trust (HNCMT). Available electronically from HNCMT Ph (02) 4577 4243
Manual to encourage community involvement in riverbank, saltmarsh, freshwater wetland and schleropyll bushland monitoring/assessment, and bushland weed mapping. Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment, NSW (adaptable to other regions).
Community Biodiversity Survey Manual
1998 National Parks Association of NSW, Sydney. Available for $25 plus $5 postage from NPA, Ph (02) 9233 4660. How community groups can collect biodiversity information for use by government agencies and research institutes which manage the environment. NSW.
Managing Roadsides -Assessment Guide
NSW Roadside Environment Committee, Sydney, Ph (024) 587 7564, email: rec@jawin.com.au $6 per booklet. First of 3 booklets to enable volunteers to consistently collect and record data over lengths of road. Includes vegetation, fauna habitat, regeneration and roadside management activities. Contains an assessment sheet and instructions. The other booklets are Planning and Implementation Guides. Covers NSW.
Farmland
Farm Monitoring Handbook
1992 N.Hunt & B.Gilkes, Land Management Society of WA (LMS), University of WA (Soil Science Department), National Soil Conservation Program. Available from LMS for $30 + postage ($5 WA / $8 Eastern states), Ph (08) 9450 6862
Practical manual with guide to identify soil degradation, monitor cause and effect and corrective measures. Covers revegetation for salinity management, photo points, aerial photos, remote sensing, monitoring birds, vegetation monitoring, transects, surveys, plant diseases, seed germination. 248pp.
The Land Management Society Farm Monitoring Kit
The Land Management Society of WA, Ph (08) 9450 6862. Cost depends on individual circumstances - see www.space.net.au/~lmsinfo. Kit with technical instruments, instructions and recording sheets used with the Farm Monitoring Handbook, for farmers to undertake tests in a standardised process, for minimal time and cost. Covers where to start, indicators to use, equipment, process to use, standards to adopt, and recording and applying results. Covers WA, but more widely applicable.
Wildlife on the Farm: A guide to how to include biodiversity in Property Planning
Land for Wildlife, Victorian Dept of Natural Resources and Environment
For information contact Penny Richards, Ph (03) 9412 4538, email: Penny.Richards@nre.vic.gov.au. Includes monitoring, a remnant vegetation assessment sheet, and Land for Wildlife Note 40: How healthy is your bushland?
Land for Wildlife Note 40: How healthy is your bushland?
S.Platt & R.Thomas, Victorian Dept of Natural Resources and Environment, www.nre.vic.gov.au/notes/ . Self-guided assessment of farm wildlife habitat/remnant vegetation. Guiding questions on landscape, patch size, shape and connectivity, naturalness, disturbance, and management. Covers Victoria, but adaptable.
Save the Bush Toolkit
1998 Charles Sturt University (CSU). Available from the Environmental Studies Unit, CSU for $65 Ph (02) 6338 4386. User friendly toolkit for landowners to assess natural resources on farms and develop management strategies. Includes:
Kit 1: Assessing Farm Bushland,
Kit 2: Managing Farm Bushland
Kit 3: Assessing Scattered Farm Trees,
Kit 4: Managing Scattered Farm Trees
Kit 5: Assessing Farm Watercourses,
Kit 6: Managing Farm Watercourses
Kit 7: Surveying Farm Flora,
Kit 8: Surveying Farm Wildlife
Kit 9: Farm Planning for Bushland and Wildlife
Covers Central West NSW, adaptable to similar systems in Australia.
The Farmer's Log 1999 - Australian Master TreeGrower Manual
R.Reid & P.Stephen, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), Publication No. 99/81. Available from Australian Master TreeGrower Program, Dept of Forestry, Institute of Land and Food Resources, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic 3052, Ph (03) 9344 5011. Detailed, describes farm forestry and the Master TreeGrower Program. Covers equipment needed, and measuring single trees and a stand or forest. Includes a tree spacing and stocking guide and field booking sheet. 128pp.
Monitoring Farm Flora and Fauna
March 2000, Greening Australia Queensland Inc., Cost $10.00
Ph. (07) 3844 0211; email: general@qld.greeningaustralia.org.au
Kit developed to assist landholders in long term records of changes to native flora and fauna within and around their project site and/or property. Contains survey techniques and data recording sheets for remnant vegetation and farm wildlife, including mammals, birds and reptiles. 51pp. Includes references for identification of flora and fauna, practical management, and general reading.
GRASS Check
1997 K.Forge, for the Qld Dept of Natural Resources (DNR). Available from DNR, Natural Sciences Precinct, Block A, 80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly, Qld 4068, Ph (07) 3896 9515, email: rsk.publications@dnr.qld.gov.au. Pasture monitoring program for graziers with simple ways to check and record condition of pastures, timber and soil, estimate sustainable production rates and provide early warning of problems. Developed for Qld, can be used in other states.
Soil Check
1995 K.Forge, for the Qld Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Available from DNR, Natural Sciences Precinct, Block A, 80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly, Qld 4068, Ph (07) 3896 9515, email: rsk.publications@dnr.qld.gov.au. Soil monitoring program for landholders with simple methods to check and record soil condition and provide early warning of soil fertility problems. Developed for Qld, can be used in other states.
Managing Sodic, Acidic and Saline Soils
1997 P.Rengasamy & J.Bourne, Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Soil and Land Management, SA. Available for $10 from the CRC, PMB 2, Glen Osmond SA 5064, Ph (08) 8303 8670, email: crcslm@adl.clw.csiro.au. Defines sodic, acidic and saline soils, a simple test to help decide if there is a problem and explains the best management for particular situations. 14pp.
Monitoring land condition: A field recording booklet
1998 J.Bourne, Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Soil and Land Management, SA. Available for $5 from the CRC, PMB 2, Glen Osmond SA 5064, Ph (08) 8303 8670, email: crcslm@adl.clw.csiro.au. Key set of plant and soil indicators for land managers in cereal cropping and pasture areas. Used with 'Managing Sodic, Acidic and Saline Soils' (above), and information from a local soil testing service. 12pp plus recording charts.
Soilmapper
1998 K.Bryceso & K.Mason, Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Soil and Land Management, SA. Available for $45 (single) or $200 (multi license) from the CRC, PMB 2, Glen Osmond SA 5064, Ph (08) 8303 8670, crcslm@adl.clw.csiro.au. Interactive CDrom game for students, consultants and land managers to develop soil sampling skills.
Vegetation
Your Bushland; tips for managing native bush plants in the New England Region
1998 P.J. Clarke, E.A. Davison & R.M. Tremont, University of New England (UNE), Armidale, Published with assistance from Bushcare and LWRRDC
Available from Botany UNE, Ph (026) 773 2340, email: botany@metz.une.edu.au
Identifies problems and solutions, encouraging landholders to observe aspects of the bush. Includes simple monitoring methods, useful for beginners assessing bushland types. 23pp. Covers New England Region NSW, but adaptable.
How Successful is your Project: An Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation
Student Manual; May 2000, Greening Australia Tasmania
Ph. (03) 6223 6377, email: lolac@tas.greeningaustralia.org.au. A concise manual for setting objectives, selecting appropriate monitoring methods, and evaluating vegetation management projects. This guide is usually provided to those attending a short training course run by GA Tasmania. The cost of the manual is $10.00 or phone to enrol in a training course.
Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation
Customised Training Program Manual, Greening Australia Victoria;
Ph. (03) 9457 3024. This manual forms the basis of training materials for a short course run by Greening Australia Victoria on monitoring vegetation management. The course/manual includes setting objectives, baseline information, key indicators, and practical monitoring techniques. 47 pp. Regularly updated.
Rangeland vegetation & soil
Monitoring Rangeland: Guidelines for measuring change in perennial vegetation
1992 R.Tauss, Dept of Agriculture, Meekatharra, WA, National Soil Conservation Program. Available from Ag WA, 3 Baron Hay Court, Sth Perth WA 6151,
Ph (08) 9368 3656. Practical guide for pastoralists to help monitor trends in paddocks. Covers photographing the site, identifying and recording plants, marking plant information on photographs, future site visits, using monitoring information, and site and stock record sheets. 11pp.
The Western Australian rangeland monitoring system: Arid shrubland manual, Field operations
1995 Agriculture Western Australia (Ag WA). Available from Ag WA, 3 Baron Hay Court, Sth Perth WA 6151, Ph (08) 9368 3656. Manual defining field operation procedures for the WA Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS), for arid shrublands. Guidelines for selecting, marking and photographing sites, creating transects, identifying and recording plants, recording site information, plus materials inventory and data sheets. 32pp.
Australian rangeland monitoring system for grasslands, Field manual
1995 S.Strutt, T.Handasyde & D.Beurle, Agriculture Western Australia (Ag WA). Available from Ag WA, 3 Baron Hay Court, Sth Perth WA 6151,
Ph (08) 9368 3656. Manual defining methods for installing and monitoring WARMS grassland sites. Includes guidelines for selecting, marking and photographing sites, marking transects, data collection conventions and methods, plus data sheets. 40 pp.
Rangeland soil condition assessment manual
1994 D.Tongway CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology, Canberra. Available for $25 + $3.50 postage from David Tongway, CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology, GPO Box 284, Canberra ACT 2601, Ph (02) 6242 1641 (may be limited)
Detailed but in non-technical language, includes how to think about soil, methods, and examples of landscapes and soil surfaces. Includes supporting photographs and diagrams. 69pp. Developed for WA rangelands, could be applied to most naturally vegetated lands with grazing-induced changes.
Manual for assessment of soil condition of tropical grasslands
1995 D. Tongway & N. Hindley, CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology, Canberra Available for $25 + $3.50 postage from David Tongway, CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology, GPO Box 284, Canberra ACT 2601, Ph (02) 6242 1641 (may be limited)
Detailed, but in non-technical language, for agencies or individual land managers. Includes concepts (soil, ecosystem function and landscape processes), methods and procedure, data use, and supporting photographs and diagrams. 59pp. Covers Grasslands - northern Australia.
Wetlands & water
Are there seeds in your wetland? Assessing Wetland Vegetation
1997 M.A. Brock, Land & Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (LWRRDC) and the University of New England. Available from LWRRDC, Ph (02) 6257 3379. Easy to read booklet, simple steps for wetland survey and seed germination, and guides assessment of results. Includes a key to identify water plants. Can be used for planning for revegetation projects. 16pp. Covers NSW.
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