Monitoring resilient landscapes

Project start date: 01/07/2021
Project end date: 31/12/2026
NESP funding: $150,000 (GST-exclusive)

Australia faces many significant pressures that lead to the degradation of our ecosystems and the decline of our biodiversity, including our threatened flora and fauna. Appropriate monitoring approaches are required to provide baseline data and identify ongoing trends.

Monitoring of environmental conditions and trends underpins policy and operational decision-making. Historically, monitoring required input by specialised personnel, making it costly and highly targeted.

Emerging technologies are increasing opportunities for remote or passive monitoring and the recruitment of non-specialist input, including citizen science. However, the use of new technologies creates new challenges for the management of large volumes of monitoring data.

This project explores the application of new technologies to understand how to prioritise different monitoring tools and approaches, and integrate monitoring into broader management systems. The project also contributes to the development of new standards for environmental monitoring.

Key research areas

  • the role of new technology in monitoring
  • prioritisation and integration of monitoring activities
  • citizen science and community-based monitoring
  • management of monitoring data
  • monitoring, evaluation and standards frameworks.
  • Section of the Litchfield National Park (NT) supersite mapped before and after fire with our terrestrial LiDAR used for monitoring management effects on vegetation structure/carbon storage. Photo: Shaun Levick, CSIRO.
  • CSIRO researchers collecting pollinators. Photo: CSIRO.
  • Ausmicrobiome soil sampling at the base of Uluru. Photo: CSIRO.
  • Rangers and scientists prepare to fly a drone over wetlands in Kakadu. Photo: Microsoft.
  • Real-time insights help APN Cape York rangers adaptively manage the region. Photo: Phil Schouteten.
  • Traditional Owners setting up remote camera traps at Jarrangbarnmi. Photo: Michael Douglas.

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