Eyre Peninsula WAP MERI Plan Ben Smith Monitoring, Evaluation & - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Eyre Peninsula WAP MERI Plan Ben Smith – Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting Officer Dr Greg Kerr – Landscape Ecologist Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

WAP MERI Plan • DEWNR responsible for monitoring • MERI Plan currently being reviewed by DEWNR • Will be released following Minister’s approval of the WAP Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

In or Out of the WAP? • MERI Plan will be a separate to the WAP • It is a living document • Allows us to update the MERI Plan as required Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Monitoring Network • Salinity and water level monitoring across all freshwater lenses in both Musgrave and Southern Basins PWA Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Musgrave Southern Basins Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Telemetered Wells • Installation of additional telemetered wells in Uley Wanilla and Lincoln South lenses • Data available in real time on Water Connect Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Lincoln North • Identified as a data gap • New monitoring network to be established Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

GDE Monitoring Key Monitoring Objectives 1. Identify the priority groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDE’s)  Wetlands  Phreatophytes 2. Quantify the baseline GDE condition 3. Identify the cause of any observed change in condition Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Assessing Wetland Condition • Assessing vegetation condition within zones along a ground- water gradient Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Assessing Bushland Condition • Using the protocols developed by the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia • 10 condition indicators • Specific condition indicators for each of the vegetation communities on Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Assessing Ground Water Dependent Tree Condition River Red Gum • Using Souter et al. 2009 • developed to assess the status and monitor the effect of management on water stressed river red gum • assesses current condition and the direction of travel along a decline/recovery trajectory Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Citizen Science • Citizen science enlists the public in collecting data. • A Citizen Scientist is a volunteer who collects and/or processes data as part of a scientific enquiry. • Monitoring of tree condition presents an excellent opportunity to involve the community in data collection Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula

Thankyou Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula