Pest Fauna Monitoring Protocols
Standardising pest fauna monitoring protocols for improved data collection and decision making.
TERN is working with the Australian Government to co-design a suite of ecological monitoring protocols alongside a data exchange standard.
The standardised protocols will assist land managers, ecologists, and environmental consultants to collect consistent and comparable monitoring data on the distribution, density, and impact of Australia’s key medium-large pest fauna species.
Standardised data collection complemented by FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data sharing will help create transparent and streamlined ecological monitoring data that are compatible across Natural Resource Management projects, regions and jurisdictions, enabling robust decision making about pest fauna.
1. Improve consistency in data recording to ensure data generated from NRM investments are compatible across individual projects, regions and jurisdictions.
2. Strengthen the evidence base for assessing and quantifying NRM outcomes.
3. Support better access to, and re-use of, ecological survey data for a variety of purposes, including adaptive management, research and policy making.
4. Identify current best practice monitoring protocols and data collection tools.
5. Communicate effectively to facilitate engagement with all stakeholder groups.
6. Develop tools (app) and systems for effective data management.
The Pest Fauna Monitoring Project will produce
- A set of standardised vertebrate pest monitoring protocols for Australia, informed by experts in the field, will be available through TERNs national ecosystem research infrastructure.
- Accurate and efficient data collection and dissemination for Australia’s vertebrate pests will be enabled by tools, specifically an app and data systems.
Scope
Outcomes
- Stakeholder engagement through workshops
- Identification and assessment of currently used survey methods
- Development of draft monitoring protocols
- Field testing and refinement
- App development and refinement
- Training programs and resources to support implementation
Other project components
In parallel with the development of standard pest fauna and ecosystem survey data collection protocols, the Australian Government is working with TERN to develop a standardised data exchange standard to support better access to, and reuse of, data from environmental monitoring and surveillance projects. The Australian Government is implementing a nationally federated repository to store and share environmental data for use by proponents, regulators and the community.
Overall, the entire process from designing monitoring projects, conducting the monitoring, managing and accessing the data, and analysing the effectiveness of NRM outcomes/impact assessments, will be more streamlined, consistent, automated and robust.
The Pest Fauna Monitoring Project leverages TERN’s core work of the Ecosystem Surveillance platform.
Contact us
- Standard Environmental Monitoring
- Standard Pest Fauna Monitoring
- Remote Sensing Cal/Val Handbook
- AusPlots Survey Protocols Manual
