Workshop gives participants a “taste test” of ecosystem monitoring techniques

To monitor ecosystem health, you need to look for multiple indicators.

That’s the key message our staff focused on at a recent workshop on ways to monitor aquatic ecosystem health for stakeholders across NSW, organised by the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), Environment and Heritage Group.

Staff showcased their monitoring methods at a two-day workshop in August with consultants, council staff and community members in attendance who were given a ‘taste-test’ of commonly used ecological indicators.

Sessions focused on using multiple indicators to monitor aquatic ecosystem health, including water quality, vegetation, geomorphology, aquatic macroinvertebrates, eDNA and fish.

These indicators are used extensively by NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy (MEMS) funded projects, such as Tilba Tilba Stream Health Monitoring project and the NSW Estuarine Monitoring project to monitor aquatic ecosystem health across coastal NSW.

Sessions were also held on data management using the SEED portal, our collaboration with NSW Local Land Services in monitoring projects, and how indicators inform the monitoring and evaluation of the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.

The workshop demonstrated the importance of using of multiple indicators in ecosystem assessment to better inform future management of the NSW marine estate. It was an excellent opportunity for scientists to share their knowledge and network with people interested in ecosystem health monitoring projects across NSW.

The workshops were delivered by Department of Planning and Environment, Environment and Heritage Group in collaboration with Sydney Wetland Institute and supported by the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.