Improving our knowledge and measuring and evaluating outcomes are vital steps in the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board’s programs and planning for the future.
Having a good understanding of the condition of our natural resources and being able to measure our progress and programs is a key goal of the Eyre Peninsula NRM Board.
The Board currently have specific programs underway which contribute to state-wide monitoring and evaluation programs and local natural resource management goals.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The program employs a Reporting and Evaluation Officer to: 
- provide advice and guidance to all project proponents in the 2006-08 Investment Strategy;
- to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework;
- to ensure consistency of monitoring and data collection; and
- enable the evaluation of information collected
This program is a core activity, to assist the Eyre Peninsula NRM Board in meeting its monitoring & evaluation obligations for Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and National Landcare Program (NLP) funding. Priorities for the 2006-08 Investment Strategy period work towards the long-term objective of standardising data collection, storage and access through the implementation of the monitoring and evaluation framework and information management in the region.
This program is crucial in enabling the region to meet monitoring, evaluation and reporting standards and obligations set by the Australian Government, and to ensure sufficient funding in future years.
For more information on the Monitoring and Evaluation program see the 2007-2010 Investment Strategy package or contact Meg Goecker on (08) 8682 7529.
Interim Management Action Targets (January 2008 - June 2009)
New interim MATs Management Action Targets (iMAT, 1-5 year targets) were endorsed by the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resource Management Board in March 2008. These iMAT replace the management action targets established in 2003-04 by the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resource Management Group. The iMATs have been strategically written, based on what is achievable as per the current Investment Strategies (07-08) and other NRM activity goals and work plans (e.g. Water resource management and pest weed and animal control).
The endorsement of the interim targets has given the Board a set of targets to achieve and report against until the regional comprehensive plan is endorsed (June 2009). These targets are reported against on a quarterly basis (refer to the links below for the quarterly progress reports). A final report will be collated to evaluate whether targets were reached and to interrogate instances in which they were not.
There are 32 targets (
IMAT Jan 2008-June 2009) that cover across six themes including: water resource management, land management (including future farming systems and pest plant and animals), habitat management (biodiversity), coast and marine management, monitoring and evaluation and community. The indicator for showing progress on the targets and the responsible agency or officer for that target has also been established.
Each target is separately commented on for progress based on the indicator.
Staff Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting Newsletters
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (ME&R) Newsletters are developed on a regular basis for staff, Board and Group members information. These newsletters are available for review via the following links:
Bushland Condition Monitoring
In the next two years this project will develop The Bushland Condition Monitoring Manual for the Eyre Peninsula which will be based upon The Bushland Condition Monitoring Manual for the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges - an assessment and monitoring guide for monitoring condition of revegetation and remnant vegetation.
This is a resource that natural resource managers, NRM officers and the community can use. It allows rapid evaluation and adaptive management of project progress. It can be used for both remnant (remaining) vegetation management and revegetation projects. It increases landholder awareness of natural resource management problems, including salinity, biodiversity decline, soil erosion and fertility decline, pest plants and animals and associated ecosystem processes.
This project will allow landholders and NRM staff to conduct an effective evaluation of the outcomes of on-ground activities on the condition of remnant native vegetation. It will allow them to alter management according to results obtained. It will build awareness and knowledge, as well as their skills, vital components of capacity building. It will fill a gap in monitoring natural resources as it will allow landholders to adaptively manage native vegetation through a process of monitoring, evaluation, and then change in management as a result of that monitoring and evaluation.
For more information on the Bushland Condition Monitoring program see the 2007-2010 Investment Strategy package or contact Tim Milne, Nature Conservation Society of South Australia on (08) 8223 6301 or (08) 8232 4290.
Fox Spotlight Monitoring
For over five years local communities across the Eyre Peninsula have been active in fox baiting programs (Integrated Pest Management). To understand the effectiveness of these baiting programs, it is important to monitor fox populations. However, obtaining accurate estimates of fox abundance is a challenge due to their elusive behavior. One technique that is useful is spotlight counts. Spotlighting for the IPM program started in 2000 and has grown through the years. Currently, Eyre Peninsula NRM staff conduct spotlight surveys on nine, 100-kilometer transects across the Eyre Peninsula (
see attached map). Twice a year over three consecutive nights they count the number of animals per transect kilometer. Preliminary results from analysis of these data in 2004 showed a decrease in fox populations and helped refine the monitoring methodology (
see attached paper). Results from the last three years of spotlighting will be analyzed in the near future to further elucidate the long-term effectiveness of the program.