The Ecological Monitoring System of Australia – standardised methods to track environmental change

The Australian Government makes significant investments to improve the stewardship of Australia's environment and the sustainable management of natural resources. On-ground actions by natural resource management (NRM) practitioners aim to improve or restore natural ecosystems and the diverse species they support, including threatened and unique taxa. Ideally, government investments are directed towards highly effective activities that result in positive conservation outcomes. Quality scientific data is critical not only to improve our understanding of the effectiveness of funded actions and their impact on species and ecosystems, but also to track climate-driven change, and enable policy-makers to make informed decisions. 

The Ecological Monitoring System of Australia (EMSA) is a collaboration between the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). EMSA provides the infrastructure, tools and resources to support NRM data collection, analysis, and evaluation, meeting the national requirement for a streamlined, consistent, automated, and robust ecological monitoring system.

EMSA builds on TERN's history as Australia’s terrestrial ecosystem observatory. EMSA’s consistent standardised observation methods provide on-ground practitioners with a modular suite of standardised survey protocols, comprehensive instructions manuals, a field data collection app, and centralised data management and storage system for the Australian Government's Biodiversity Data Repository. Ongoing support is provided via a help desk, community of practice, training and outreach activities.

The 24 EMSA modules include standardised methods for establishing plots, collecting landscape, soil, disturbance, vegetation community and floristic information, field vouchers, leaf tissue samples, and photopoints. Additional modules can be incorporated to target terrestrial fauna, pest fauna, and invertebrates through direct and indirect observation, camera trapping and acoustic monitoring. Modules are available to capture management activities, the severity of fire, and changes to tree condition and recruitment. Most modules offer multiple standardised options, depending on the detail required for the project. The field collection app is paired with an instruction manual and is written for entry to mid-level field ecologists and field practitioners.

EMSA is being delivered across Australia by partners funded under the Natural Heritage Trust. It is also encouraged for other NRM investment programs and is being considered for other future Australian Government programs. As a result, an Australian-wide network is being created, generating invaluable, science-rich data and improving our understanding of ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, and climate change impacts, and supporting our planning, decision-making and reporting of investment programs Whilst developed for the Australian landscape, the EMSA model is adaptable globally.