10 – The value of assessing species recovery: towards a national framework^143- Select a representative set of threatened species that could form the basis for a
national monitoring framework, identifying gaps that would need an
appropriate monitoring response including implementation costs. - Work within existing information management systems to identify an
appropriate database capability to integrate potentially diverse monitoring
datasets. (Also underway within the Threatened Species Index Project.) - Establish a reporting capability, including governance systems, through which
reporting can occur and which complement existing reporting processes. (Also
underway within the Threatened Species Index Project.)
This is a challenging task and one that needs to be well supported and
appropriately resourced, aligned with or integrated within current policy and other
programs, has longevity and is cost-effective. Appropriate governance systems
would need to be established to enable effective coordination. The proposed
monitoring framework should:
● (^) be informed by existing knowledge: Considerable research has assessed the
effectiveness of threatened species management and policy and is an important
information base to draw upon. These variously recommend a range of
approaches and actions to improve planning, governance, monitoring,
evaluation and reporting processes (McDonald-Madden et al. 2010; Bottrill et
al. 2011; Lindenmayer and Gibbons 2012; Martin et al. 2012; Lindenmayer et al.
2013; Westgate et al. 2013; McDonald et al. 2015; Evans et al. 2016). Current
research under the Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the Australian
Government funded National Environmental Science Programme responds to
key policy and planning needs of the Government. ‘Better understanding,
measuring and reporting on the condition and trend of threatened species’ is a
key Program research priority and several relevant projects are underway to
guide policy responses.
● (^) complement or integrate with other relevant programs: A monitoring and
reporting framework should build upon, and integrate with other relevant
programs in place across jurisdictions (SECRC 2013). Any proposed revision of
Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy presents an opportunity to
integrate a threatened species reporting system into a revised national strategy
that better aligns with the Aichi targets (Commonwealth of Australia 2016).
National policy reform in the management of biodiversity information is
underway to improve the Australian Government’s capacity to monitor, detect
and predict change in the environment. The National Environmental
Information Infrastructure for example, is an information platform designed
to improve discovery, access and re-use of nationally significant environmental
data. The Atlas of Living Australia and its integration of biological records and