Ncssa bcm-vegetation condition monitoring workshop

Bushland Condition Monitoring

Nature Conservation Society of SA

Why assess vegetation condition?• inform decision making- knowledge of vegetation

condition needed at multiple scales for decision making and prioritisation

• report on outcomes- condition monitoring needed to report on outcomes from management actions and investments

• understanding of causal links- improved understanding needed of causal links between threats, management actions and vegetation condition

Trade-offs

expertise

number of sites

data type

technical resources required

magnitude of change detectedhuge tiny

time & costextravagantshoe

string

absolutely anyone

trained expert

subjective

0 ∞

objective

readily available IT junkie

Considerations when designing BCM methodologyDevelop a method that:

• provides land managers with feedback relating to the impact of management action and threats

• can be implemented by NRM practitioners, community members and land managers, without the need for high level scientific research expertise

• reports on multiple vegetation condition parameters• allows flexibility to be applied at multiple spatial scales• requires minimal time, resources and equipment to implement whilst

retaining value of data collected• is complementary to existing datasets and survey methodology • has the ability to detect an appropriate degree of difference in vegetation

condition to inform NRM decisions and investment allocation and to report on the outcomes of investment

BCM methodology• Uses repeat measures to assess change over time• Well defined & permanently marked assessment site• Measurements largely based on 30 x 30m quadrat chosen

to be representative of the bushland area being assessed• Produces an individual score for each parameter or

indicator• Parameter scores can be compared to Vegetation

Community Benchmarks• Provides instant feedback/interpretation of assessment• Intensive 2 day training is required• ~2hrs-1/2 day per site

Indicators assessed1. Plant Species Diversity2. Weed Abundance and Threat3. Structural Diversity – Ground Cover & Plant Life

Forms4. Regeneration5. Tree & Shrub Health 6. Tree Habitat Features7. Feral Animals8. Total Grazing Pressure9. Fauna Species Diversity10. Bushland Degradation Risk

Vegetation Community Benchmarks• Values obtained for each indicator dependent on

both condition and the vegetation type being assessed

• Vegetation Communities are based on groups of Vegetation Associations with similar structure and composition of vegetation

• Comparison of field data to benchmark values for a particular community type thus allows for expected variation in indicators as a result of belonging to that vegetation community

• At the site scale, there is quick feedback of results that do not require further analysis

Current statusBCM used for biodiversity assessments in:Upper South East Biodiversity Trading, BushBids (eastern MLR)Candlebark woodlands (MLR), Bush for Life, On-ground works

assessment (NY NRM region)

Approximately 1500 sites established375 people trained

Manuals published: Southern Mt Lofty RangesSouthern Mt Lofty Ranges CoastalNorthern Agricultural and Yorke Peninsula regions

Eyre Peninsula and SA Murray-Darling Basin manuals published by Summer 08/09

Existing SABAT/BCM sites

Testing the methodologyTrial to gain insights into surveyor consistency as well as the ability of

surveyors to detect differences between different sites. This would provide an indication of the ability of the BCM method to detect

real change at a site, as compared to change that may be due to the skill or bias of different observers.

Five different practitioners who had been trained by NCSSA and had been using the BCMM in field situations independently scored four different sites that had been marked out within an area of the Waite Reserve in the Adelaide Hills.

Each site belonged to a similar vegetation association (Eucalyptus camaldulensis/Eucalyptus leucoxylon woodland) but sites were chosen to represent different condition classes in the poor to moderate range

Mean species richness scores for five observers

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Mean structural diversity scores for five observers

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Site number

Str

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Power to detect change in tree health

Degree of Change in Tree Health

Number of Trees Scored

Low (10% change in tree health)

High (30% change)

10 63% 85%

40 75% 98%

Table 1: Predicted power of tree health data to detect change (Note that α = β as discussed by Field et al 2007)

Compatibility with state and transition models• BCM does not assume a linear model for condition

trajectories (measuring multiple parameters) • 5 condition classes in 11 indicators allows for 511

possible condition states (approx 50 million)• Data collected could inform development and

refinement of state and transition models (eg BushBids predicted versus real response)

Prolonged Domestic Grazing has led to:Moderate species diversity, Moderate weed abundance & threat, Poor structural diversity, Lack of regeneration of woody trees & shrubs, High total grazing pressure

Reduced domestic grazing leads to:Higher weed abundance and threat Due to lack of competition:An increase in grazing feral animals Other Associated Consequences:Loss of species diversityReduction of structural diversity

Protection from grazing leads to:Increased species diversity

Lower total grazing pressureRegeneration of woody perennials

Increased structural diversityIncreased ground cover

Intended application of Bushland Condition Monitoring ToolDetect condition change over time, investigate causal factors, link to management regime

Comparison of condition information from 2 sites

Value of site based information• site based data needed to build and support

predictive spatial modeling• site based data forms a foundation for expert

opinion• collection of site based data can contribute

to building capacity of land managers and community

• guides investment decisions• used to report on outcomes

BCM was not designed to• provide information relating to the autecology of a

species eg:• spatial or temporal information on individual

species abundance • species interactions

BCM provides quantified measure and interpretation of universally accepted biodiversity surrogates that allows for valid comparison in these surrogates spatially or temporally

SABAT/Bushland Condition Monitoring Database

Species Diversity/ Richness Score Indicator Rating

Weed Abundance and Threat Score Indicator Rating

Structural Diversity Plant Life Forms Score Indicator Rating

Tree and Shrub Regeneration Score Indicator Rating

Total Grazing Pressure Score Indicator Rating

Tree Hollow Score Indicator Rating

Tree Health - Dieback Score Indicator Rating

Tree Health - Mistletoe Score Indicator Rating

Tree Habitat Value Score Indicator Rating