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Guides and Manuals

Specifications for preparing and providing information for publication

This document outlines important procedures and specifications for you to follow when submitting information (that will eventually form a published report) to the National Land & Water Resources Audit (the Audit).

User's guide to estuarine, coastal and marine indicators for regional NRM monitoring

This document intends to build upon the significant work already undertaken in developing indicators. It does not seek to invent new indicators, but rather bring together relevant indicators and other information about estuarine, coastal and marine ecosystems to meet the monitoring needs for regional NRM monitoring as specified by the MEWG. Whilst this document does intend to provide users (primarily regional NRM (more)...

Indicator protocol: distribution and abundance of significant invasive vertebrate pests

Extent and impact of selected ecologically significant vertebrate invasive species

This document presents the recommended monitoring protocol for collecting, collating and reporting information on the distribution and abundance of significant invasive vertebrate pests, at the national, state and territory, and regional levels.

Indicator protocols: extent, density and distribution of weeds

Extent and impact of selected ecologically significant invasive species

This document presents the recommended monitoring protocol for collecting, collating and reporting information on the extent, distribution and abundance of significant invasive vegetation species (weeds) for national, state/territory and regional application.

Socio-economic indicator protocols

Capacity of regional organisations and social and institutional foundations of natural resource management

The Workplan aims to identify socio-economic indicators to assess the: capacity of land managers to change and adopt sustainable management practices capacity of regional organisations to make decisions on NRM issues and the social and institutional foundations of NRM programs, and the interlinkages between the above and their relationship to the achievement of longer term changes to the:   (more)...

Indicator protocols: location, size and intensity of salt-affected areas

Areas Threatened by Shallow or Rising Water Tables

Salinisation occurs where soils and vegetation are degraded by the discharge and evaporative concentration of saline groundwater. This commences when the water table either reaches the root zone or where it can be evaporatively concentrated (commonly within two metres of the ground surface). Monitoring the expansion or contraction and intensity of salt affected areas provides an effective tool for assessing changes in salinity status over time. It can also aid in determining risk and (more)...

Indicator protocols: baseflow salinity

Areas Threatened by Shallow or Rising Water Tables

Stream salinity is a useful indicator of catchment salinity. It may be comprised of baseflow (groundwater) and surface water components. Baseflow salinity is important because it indicates the relative contribution of groundwater salinity to total stream salinity. In more rapidly-responding local groundwater flow systems, rising baseflow salinities over time generally indicate an increasing groundwater contribution to the stream flow and, therefore rising water tables. It is also an (more)...

Water erosion hazard

Indicator protocols for soil condition

Water erosion causes losses of soil that far exceed the rates of soil development and the on-site consequences affect agriculture by: decreasing soil volume available for the plant root to exploit selectively removing nutrients and organic matter breaking up paddocks into physically smaller units. Off-site effects relate to the sedimentation of creeks, rivers, estuaries and reservoirs, increased flooding, eutrophication, and the general (more)...

Soil organic carbon

Indicator protocols for soil condition

Soil organic matter is a key soil component and plays a critical role in a range of physical, chemical and biological soils processes (Baldock 2007). Soil organic matter: provides energy for biological processes (Fontaine et al. 2003) and nutrients N, P, S improves the structural stability, influences water retention properties and alters thermal properties contributes to cation exchange capacity, enhances pH buffering and (more)...

Soil acidification

Indicator protocols for soil condition

Soil acidity is a major land degradation issue facing much of Australia. It is important to know if it is being managed appropriately to avoid costly losses in production, negative implications for the environment and possibly restricted access to future markets for our agricultural produce. Different crop species and even different cultivars have a pH range within which they are most comfortable; nutrient deficiencies and toxicity’s appear as the pH moves outside this range. Many (more)...