acris: the australian collaborative rangelands information...

ACRIS: the Australian Collaborative Rangelands Information System

Gary BastinACRIS CoordinatorCSIRO, Alice Springs

Presentations were made by individuals as theme coordinators of Audit activity. They do not represent the views of the National Land & Water Resources Audit or respective agencies. You are encouraged to discuss these findings with the various partners and contributors that have provided this information.

CSIRO. ACRIS: Reporting Change in the Rangelands

ACRIS

• Our role is to coordinate collation and reporting of information about change in the rangelands

• We have collated available jurisdictional and national data to produce Rangelands 2008 – Taking the Pulse

• The emphasis in ACRIS is on the “IS” – developing and maintaining a functional and effective information system (we are not about instituting a nationally consistent monitoring program nor are we a data warehouse)

1955 1992


ACRIS Management Committee task:

In 2003, the NRMMC, through the NRPPC asked the ACRIS Management Committee to test a framework for reporting on environmental, economic and social change across the rangelands and to resolve reporting inconsistencies and inadequacies. • Activities:

late 2003 to mid 2005 – test of reporting capacity with a set of focus questions for a major region in each jurisdiction- jurisdictional reports & national synthesis at http://www.environment.gov.au/land/management/rangelands/acris/index.html- pilot reporting demonstrated that ACRIS had capacity to report more broadly, although the limitations of available data were recognised

mid 2005 to late 2007 – production of Rangelands 2008 – Taking the Pulse- sequel to Rangelands – Tracking Changes- report will be published by the Audit- planned launch in August 2008

Rangelands 2008 – Taking the Pulse:- reporting change between 1992 and 2005 - reporting by bioregion (or sub-IBRA)

http://www.environment.gov.au/land/management/rangelands/acris/index.html


ACRIS: what we did

ACRIS Management Unit

(including Desert Knowledge CRC)

Jurisdictional MonitoringIndicators of landscape function and sustainable management

NSWWA

SANT

QldDatasticians (consultants)

contracts advice

assistance

cleaned collated &

synthesised data

Rangelands 2008 – Taking the Pulse

meta-analysis report writing

Biodiversity

Biodiversity Working Group

AG (DEWHA), NT, WA, SA, Qld

10 indicators

+consultants

Lynn Day, John Ludwig

National Datasetsrainfall

AussieGRASS

fire

dust

livestock

land use

ABS / ABARE

ACRIS M/C AG: DEWHA, DAFF,

Audit, CSIRO States: WA, SA, NSW,

Qld, NT

direction advice

guidance editing


Rangelands 2008 – Taking the PulseTheme: Product Data Source / ProviderLandscape function Landscape function Pastoral monitoring programs

Sustainable management

Critical stock forage Pastoral monitoring programs

Native plant species richness WA & NSW pastoral monitoring

Weeds Audit maps – data from states / NT

Fire, Dust WA Landgate, Griffith University

Total grazing pressure Livestock density ABS census & survey

Kangaroo density Aerial surveys – Qld, NSW & SA

Feral herbivores Audit maps – data from states / NT

Biodiversity:

10 indicators identified by the Biodiversity Working Group

Protected area CAPAD – data provided by States/NT

Threatened species / communities EPBC database – data from states/NT

Fauna / flora surveys & records State / NT activity

Wetlands, transformer weeds, clearing Waterpoints (remoteness)

Various (clearing from satellite data) Waterpoints – SA, WA, southern NT

Bird surveys Birds Australia

Social & economic Land use & Pastoral land values Regional profiles Non-pastoral production & value

Audit (land use), States / NT – value ABS / ABARE ABS data (Audit / Agtrans Research)

Climate variability Rainfall, Aussie-GRASS, NDVI BoM (SILO), QLD NRM&W, ERIN


Change in landscape function

Landscape function provides a measure of the landscape’s capacity to capture rainfall and nutrients, the essential resources for plant growth.

Monitoring data:

Pastoral estate

Site based for WA, SA, NSW, NT

Data vary between jurisdictions –indices constructed from density (or frequency) and cover of perennial pasture species

Queensland: repeat road traverses to assess vegetation & land condition

functional – non leaky dysfunctional –leaky landscape


Seasonal conditions

Decline No Change

Increase

Above average

XX X ~

Average X ~ √Below average

~ √ √√

Seasonally Interpreted Change in Landscape FunctionGross Change

Below Average Seasonal Quality

Above Average Seasonal Quality

CSIRO. ACRIS: Reporting Change in the Rangelands2004

Stocking Density – 2001 (census year)

1

0<2 DSE / sq km

>100 DSE / sq km

not stocked

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

% C

hang

e in

Sto

ckin

g D

ensi

ty (1

983-

91 b

ase)

PilbaraRiverina

Trend in livestock density

1992

not stocked

<70% of 1983-91 mean stocking density

>130% of 1983-91 mean stocking density

= 1983-91 average stocking density

Relative Change

Change in livestock density


ACRIS – what we learnt: some headline statements

Seasonal quality (early 1990s to 2005)

Generally above-average in the north and north-west; variable in central Australia; initially above average in most of WA & SA shrublands then drier-than-average; below average followed by drought in eastern grasslands & mulga lands





Landscape function

WA, SA, NSW & NT: majority of sites in 26 bioregions had increased or stable landscape function for recent seasonal quality Reported change is for local area of monitoring sites, not the whole of each bioregion.Queensland (road-traverse data): 5 bioregions had seasonally adjusted stabile or increased landscape function; 6 bioregions had decreased landscape function





Landscape function


Biodiversity Substantial declines have occurred historically & there is no evidence that this has ceased given current land uses & time lags in biological responses. This assumption supported by declines in the detection rates of some bird species by the Birds Australia volunteer network.CAPAD: significant changes in management intent for some areas, most notably Great Victoria Desert & Central Ranges bioregions where communities have agreed to manage large areas for biodiversity conservation.Clearing: significant reduction in extent of woody cover in the eastern margin of the rangelands (Qld and NSW).Water points: for pastorally productive regions, only small areas now remote from water. Water-remote areas may contribute to biodiversity conservation where weeds & total grazing pressure are strictly controlled





Landscape function


Biodiversity Substantial declines have occurred historically & there is no evidence that this has ceased given current land uses & time lags in biological responses. This assumption supported by declines in the detection rates of some bird species by the Birds Australia volunteer network.CAPAD: significant changes in management intent for some areas, most notably Great Victoria Desert & Central Ranges bioregions where communities have agreed to manage large areas for biodiversity conservation.Clearing: significant reduction in extent of woody cover in the eastern margin of the rangelands (Qld and NSW).Water points: for pastorally productive regions, only small areas now remote from water. Water-remote areas may contribute to biodiversity conservation where weeds & total grazing pressure are strictly controlled

Socio-economic Land values have increased by 150-300% for many pastoral bioregions over part or all of the reporting period. In most regions, these increases were far more than could be accounted for by increases in productivity (turn-off of meat and/or fibre).


ACRIS: what we need to do now

• From the social & economic group – more targeted information on rangelands’ social & economic values

• From the Soils group – remote sensing & monitoring of ground cover for erodibility assessment

• For vegetation – how to assess & monitor vegetation condition

• For land use – how to accurately & efficiently monitor land use and management practices

ACRIS can act as a driver to direct information types required for comprehensive rangelands analysis. Examples include:



• Governance (ACRIS Management Committee)

• Action to sustain ACRIS

• Expanded rangeland monitoring & reporting

• Improved rangeland monitoring

Issues for ACRIS:



• Sell our 2008 report to NRM departments & agencies - August launch in Canberra followed by rangelands road show - opening session of 2008 rangelands conference, Charters Towers - other communication activities to be decided

• Evaluate the impact of the 2008 report - follow-up questionnaire and surveys with policies & programs people - is there a need to modify/expand policies & programs as they apply to the rangelands?

• Better engage with NRM boards, Catchment Management Authorities etc - how can ACRIS activities assist their reporting requirements?

e.g. by providing seasonal and regional context to better understand change - how can we best collaborate to expand monitoring capacity?

• Engage with Indigenous land management organisations etc to expand capacity to report change for Indigenous-held land

Governance (ACRIS Management Committee)



• Continuing financial support under Caring for Country to maintain the Management Unit and assist ACRIS activity?

• Further develop the ‘information system’ (the ‘IS’ of ACRIS) - web based so that the information system is as dynamic as possible - continued updating of interpreted information (turning data into information)

• Strategic development of ACRIS so as to focus activity by both the Management Committee & Management Unit

Sustain ACRIS



• Biodiversity - current consultancy to provide recommendations to ACRIS M/C - implement an agreed systematic, robust and efficient methodology for monitoring critical aspects of biodiversity - integrated approach – draw on the resources of Australian Government, state/NT conservation agencies, regional NRM bodies, non-govt conservation groups, Indigenous land management organisations etc

• More robust & appropriate indicators of socio-economic change - indicators & supporting data of ‘practice change’ in the rangelands - alignment of jurisdictional data to better report change in land values

• Density estimates of feral herbivores to better quantify total grazing pressure

• Potential for ‘citizen science’ monitoring to improve data availability? - Birds Australia volunteers - harnessing grey nomads to report sightings/evidence of weeds, invasive animals etc

Expanded rangeland monitoring and reporting



• Pastoral monitoring - vitally important legacy data (site-based programs MUST continue) - expanded use of remote sensing to reduce problems of spatially extrapolating beyond where sites are located - more consistent methods among state/NT partners (e.g. present inconsistencies in reporting changes in landscape function) - take account of current/baseline condition as well as change so that we can better report trend (consultant’s report now available)

• Improved data for reporting socio-economic change - nationally consistent land tenure data - alignment of jurisdictional data to better report change in land values

• Using all available jurisdictional data to report changes in kangaroo density

• Maximise the value of other information systems for tracking change in the rangelands - WRON, NVIS, ASRIS, ACLUMP etc

Improved rangeland monitoring


ACRIS: summary

• Rangelands 2008 – Taking the Pulse is about to be published

• We (the ACRIS Management Committee) need to capitalise on our large investment in that report - targeted communication in the programs & policy area - follow-up survey of impact

• We need to continue to develop the information system (the ‘IS’ of ACRIS) - this is about turning data into information - in a timely and efficient manner

• There is considerable scope for expanded and improved monitoring to enable more comprehensive, accurate and efficient tracking of change in the rangelands - this is particularly the case for biodiversity - requires core funding and long-term institutional support

acris: the australian collaborative rangelands information...

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