Region Name
Regional Environmental Account 2013
Information Statement
Submitted for Accreditation June 2013
This document contains supporting documentation for the Region
Name’s Regional Environmental Account Trial Proof of Concept
Account 2013.
Region Name
June 2013
Queensland Murray-Darling Committee
Regional Environmental Account
Date:
Author:
Version:
June 2013
Bl a ckl ey, R. M.
Proof of Concept 2013
Status:
Submi tted for Accredi tation
Assets:
Na tive Vegetation, Ri vers , Wetla nds (Pa rtia l )
Download account:
Download data tables:
Disclaimer:
Copyright:
Report Citation:
Acknowledgements:
http://nrmregi ons a us tra l i a .com.au/nrm/?pa ge_i d=445
http://nrmregi ons a us tra l i a .com.au/nrm/?pa ge_i d=445
Thi s document ha s been prepa red a s pa rt of the Aus tra l i a n Regi ona l Envi ronmental Accounts 'Proof of Concept' Tri a l .
Thi s document a nd a ccompa nyi ng ma teri a l ha ve not yet gone through the requi red Sci entifi c Accredi tation proces s
a nd therefore s houl d not be us ed to des cri be the condi tion of thes e a s s ets a t thi s time.
© Queens l a nd Murra y-Da rl i ng Commi ttee
Bl a ckl ey, R. M. (2013). Queens l a nd Murra y-Da rl i ng Commi ttee Regi ona l Envi ronmental Account Tri a l , Proof of Concept
Account 2013. Ava i l a bl e onl i ne [www.nrmregi ons a us tra l i a .com.au/nrm/?pa ge_i d=445]
Thi s document ha s been prepa red by Queenl a nd Murra y-Da rl i ng Commi ttee wi th s upport from the Wentworth Group
of Concerned Sci entis ts , NRM Regi ons Aus tra l i a a nd the Ia n Potter Founda tion.
© Queens l a nd Murra y-Da rl i ng Commi ttee
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
Region Name
Contents
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS ...................................................................... 1
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSET 1 ..................................................................... 2
INDICATORS ....................................................................................... 2
INDICATOR 1 ...................................................................................... 2
INDICATOR 2 ...................................................................................... 4
CALCULATION OF ECONDS................................................................. 5
LAND ASSET 2 ......................................................................................... 6
INDICATORS ................................................................................... 6
INDICATOR 1 ...................................................................................... 7
INDICATOR 2 ...................................................................................... 7
CALCULATION OF ECONDS................................................................. 8
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
June 2013
Region Name
June 2013
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS
Environmental assets addressed in this Information
Statement Include:
LAND
eg. Native
Vegetation
Eg. Soil
Eg. Native Fauna
WATER
Novel: Native Flora
Eg. Rivers
Eg. Wetlands
Eg. Groundwater
MARINE
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
Eg. Estuaries
Eg. Nearshore
habitats
Novel: Southern
Right Whales
77 Regional
Vegetation Classes;
15 Major
Vegetation Groups
9 Land Resource
Units
5 Vertebrate
groupings
5 Catchments, 15
Subcatchments
3 Classes
8 Groundwater
Zones
10 Estuaries
3 Habitat types
1
Region Name
Please provide a brief description as to how the assets were selected
for the 2013 Proof of Concept Regional Environmental Account. What
process was used to select the asset and can you provide
documentation of endorsement by your community and/or board?
June 2013
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSET 1
INDICATORS
Indicators used to describe the condition of this asset are:
Extent
Composition
Configuration
INDICATOR 1
For each indicator used to measure the condition of your selected
Environmental Asset provide the information indicated below. Ensure
names of datasets and providers are included in this documentation.
Sampling design methodology
Provide a brief description of the sampling design for the data
collection of this indicator AND attach additional documentation where
available.
Example: Data sourced from the BioHabitat Monitoring Program,
developed and coordinated by the South Tasmanian Research
Collective. BioHabitat involves sampling 23 vegetation communities
via a random stratified sampling design, conducted every 5 years, since
1990. BioHabitat involves the collection of data for 30 composition
indicators (BioHabitat Methods Manual 1990). Over the last 2
sampling periods (2010, 2005) a selection of composition indicators
were rationalised from the larger set of 30. The rationalised list was
selected via a series of modelling exercises undertaken by the South
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
2
Region Name
Tasmanian Research Collective as part of a trial. (pers comm, John
Smith, STRC).
John Smith, STRC, john.smith@strc.gov.au, 03 1234 5678
The list of 30 BioHabitat indicators includes: species diversity,
proportion of native species, ……..
The rationalised list of indicators includes: canopy cover, structural
diversity and species diversity.
Data collection methodology
Provide a brief description of the data collection process AND attach
additional documentation where available. Who collected the data?
Were the field data collected as per designed specifications?
Example: Data was collected as per the design specifications above by
the University of Hobart staff and students, coordinated by Randal
Sampler. Data was collected March 5-15, 2010.
Randal Sampler, UHobart, rsampler@uh.edu.au, 03 98765432
Previous data were collected by UHobart research staff
(2005,2000,1995,1990) and coordinated by Judith Researcher,
UHobart, jresearcher@uh.edu.au, 03 87876767 (BioHabitat Technical
Reports 1990,1995,2000, 2005).
If an expert opinion panel was used to determine current measure of
condition provide details as to how the experts derived their opinion
(what datasets or framework were used to supplement their opinion?)
and list the names and details of these individuals.
June 2013
year’s account. A workshop, convened by Darcy Watts SEQ Catchments
was held on 12 January 2012 at SEQ Catchments Brisbane office, and
involved the following experts:
Suzie Sasquatch, Chief Scientist, Queensland Herbarium,
ssasq@herb.qld.au, 07 77777777
George Banksia, Research Director, Queensland Herbarium,
gb@herb.qld.au, 07 12341234
Mary Moneypenny, Professor, School of Environment, Queensland
University, mmm@qu.edu, 07 78785454
The exports based their opinion on their knowledge of each of the
region’s 99 ecological vegetation groups (EVGs) against the indicators
of species diversity, structure, nativeness and habitat qualities. The
experts then
scored each EVG on a scale of 0-5 based on the following criteria:
0= xxxx
1= yyyy
2= zzzz
….
And were then converted in a score of 100.
Analysis of data
Provide details on the dataset used for the accounts:
What is the name of the dataset and where is it stored or accessed?
Who is the custodian? How was the data analysed, and by whom? Are
there accepted standards for analysis of this data? What were the
assumptions made during the analysis?
Example: Comprehensive composition data were not available for the
entire region, therefore a process of expert opinion was used for this
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
3
Region Name
Reference Condition Data Source
Provide details on the methods and data used to determine the
reference benchmark.
June 2013
INDICATOR 2
Sampling Design Methodology
Data Collection Methodology
Calculation of Indicator Condition Scores
How was the condition score calculated? Did the data require
additional interpretation after analysis in order to calculate condition
scores? Who undertook this interpretation?
Analysis of Data
Reference Condition Data Source
Calculation of Indicator Condition Scores
Region’s Assessment of Data Quality
Region’s assessment of data quality
1. Provide a general assessment of the data used for this indicator:
how accurately does it reflect the SMART principles (below)?
2. Does the condition score adequately reflect the condition of the
asset with respect to this indicator?
Relevant is a measure or surrogate of the condition of an
environmental asset
Simple is easily interpreted, monitored and appropriate for community
use
Sensitive is able to detect change in the condition of the asset
Measurable can be statistically verified, reproduced and compared
Timely shows trends over time, provides early warning of potential
problems and highlights future needs or issues
Aggregative is amenable to combining with others to produce more
general info about environmental conditions or principles?
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
4
Region Name
June 2013
CALCULATION OF ECONDS
Calculation of Econds for subassets
Provide details on method of combining indicators or other process
used to determine the Econds for the subassets (eg. Vegetation
communities)
Calculation of regional Econd for the asset
Provide details on method of combining indicators or other process
used to determine the overall regional Econd for this asset
Region’s assessment of Econds
Do the Econds adequately reflect the condition of the asset?
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
5
LAND ASSET 2
INDICATORS
Indicators used to describe the condition of this asset are:
Extent
Composition
Configuration
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
6
Region Name
June 2013
INDICATOR 1
INDICATOR 2
Sampling Design Methodology
Sampling Design Methodology
Data Collection Methodology
Data Collection Methodology
Analysis of Data
Analysis of Data
Reference Condition Data Source
Reference Condition Data Source
Calculation of Indicator Condition Scores
Calculation of Indicator Condition Scores
Region’s Assessment of Data Quality
Region’s Assessment of Data Quality
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
7
Region Name
June 2013
CALCULATION OF ECONDS
Calculation of Econds for subassets
Provide details on method of combining indicators or other process
used to determine the Econds for the subassets (eg. Vegetation
communities)
Calculation of regional Econd for the asset
Provide details on method of combining indicators or other process
used to determine the overall regional Econd for this asset
Region’s assessment of Econds
Do the Econds adequately reflect the condition of the asset?
Regional Environmental Account 2013 Information Statement
8