Soils for Life workshop was held at “Jillamatong” Braidwood, NSW on 13 November 2013. The presentation outlines a system for assessing change and trend in vegetation condition at the paddock level using the VAST framework. To assess change and trend it is necessary to develop ecological literacy about ecological function. The presentation steps through key components of the VAST framework including collating a chronology about land management practices and regimes and the observed effects these practices had on indicators ecological function. A simple graphical report card is used to assist the land manager see where they have come from, where they are now and to plan strategies for achieving future outcomes by changing land management practices and regimes. Site and paddock-based monitoring of core indicators will assist the and manager to track change and trend.

1. Knowing more about your land -
establishing a knowledge baseline for
landscape improvement
Richard Thackway
Soils for Life workshop at “Jillamatong” Braidwood NSW
13 November 2013

2. Outline
• Concepts and definitions
• What is VAST
• VAST-2 methodology
• Potential to use VAST to help provide evidence
• VAST-2 case study
• How to use a baseline to plan for the future
• More information
VAST = Vegetation Assets States and Transitions

3. Land managers at different times change ecological
function for a purpose/s
Process:
Land managers use land management practices (LMP) to
influence ecological function at sites and the landscape by:
• Modifying
• Removing and replacing
• Enhancing
• Restoring
• Maintaining
• Improving
Purpose is to achieve e.g.
• Selected mix of ecosystem services (ES) – agriculture & forestry
• Rehabilitation or restoration of full set of ES – nature conservation

4. Focus on tracking the effects of land management
practices (LMP) on natural landscapes
Soil
Vegetation
Regenerative capacity/ function
Vegetation structure &
Species composition
1. Soil hydrological status
2. Soil physical status
3. Soil chemical status
4. Soil biological status
5. Fire regime
6. Reproductive potential
7. Overstorey structure
8. Understorey structure
9. Overstorey composition
10. Understorey composition
LMP are used to influence

5. Definitions
• Change in a plant community (type) due to effects of land
management practices:
– Structure
– Composition
– Regenerative capacity
• Transformation = changes and trends in condition over time
• Condition and transformation are assessed relative to fully
natural a reference state
• A baseline state is a point in time that is important to the land
manager
Condition

6. Vegetation Assets States and Transitions (VAST) framework
VI
V
IV
III
II
I
0
Native vegetation
cover
Non-native vegetation
cover
Increasing modification caused by use and management
Transitions = trend
Vegetation
thresholds
Reference for
each veg type
(NVIS)
VAST - A framework for assessing & reporting
vegetation condition
Condition states
Residual or
unmodified
Naturally
bare
Modified Transformed Replaced -
Adventive
Replaced -
managed
Replaced -
removed
Thackway & Lesslie (2008) Environmental
Management, 42, 572-90
Diagnostic attributes of VAST states:
• Vegetation structure
• Species composition
• Regenerative capacity
National Vegetation Information System

7. Occupation
Relaxation
Anthropogenic change
Net change
Time
1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
Based on Hamilton, Brown & Nolan 2008. FWPA PRO7.1050. pg. 18
Land use impacts on biodiversity and Life Cycle Analysis
REFERENCE
Model of ecosystem change i.e. cause & effect
Change
in
vegetation
indicator
od
index
BASELINE

8. VAST-2 System
Tracking change and trend over time

9. 1
3
10
22
Diagnostic
attributes
Vegetation
Transformation
score
Attribute
groups
Vegetation
Structure
(27%)
Overstorey
(3)
Understorey
(3)
Species
Composition
(18%)
(2)
Understorey
Overstorey
(2)
Regenerative
Capacity
(55%)
Fire
(2)
Reprod
potent
(2)
Soil
Hydrology
(2)
Biology
(2)
Nutrients
(2)
Structure
(2) Indicators
VAST-2 hierarchy

10. Step 7
Add the indices for the three components to generate total transformation
index for the ‘transformation site’ for each year of the historical record .
Validate using Expert Knowledge
Step 1a
Use a checklist of 22 indicators to compile
changes in LU & LMP* and plant
community responses over time
Transformation site
Step 1c
Evaluate impacts on the plant community
over time
Step 1b
Evaluate the influence of climate, soil and
landform on the historical record
Step 2
Document responses of 22
indicators over time
Step 4
Document the reference
states for 22 indicators
Step 3a
Literature review to determine the
baseline conditions for 22 indicators
Step 3c
Compile indicator data for 22
indicators for reference site
Step 3b
Evaluate the influence of climate, soil
and landform for the reference site
Reference state/sites
Step 5
Score all 22 indicators for ‘transformation site’ relative to the
‘reference site’. 0 = major change; 1 = no change
Step 6
Derive weighted indices for the three components for the ‘transformation
site’ i.e. regenerative capacity (58%), vegetation structure (27%) and
species composition (18%) by adding predefined indicators
General process for tracking changes
VAST-2 system
* LU Land use
LMP Land management practices

11. Importance of dynamics
Rainfall assumed to be main driver of system dynamics
• Period 1900 - 2013
• Average seasonal rainfall (summer, autumn, …)
• Rainfall anomaly is calculated above and below the mean
• Two year running trend line fitted
• Create a graph – fast and easy to understand

12. 1800 1825 1850 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 2025
100
80
60
40
20
0
So I now have a 2013 baseline
how can I use it?
Current land management: Continuous grazing of derived native grassland
Proposed land management change: Time & cell-based grazing on reconstructed grassy woodland
Unmodified/
Residual
Replaced -
removed
Replaced -
managed
Replaced -
Adventive
Modified
VAST
classes
years
Transformed
2013

13. 1st cycle = BASELINE
So I now have a 2013 baseline
how can I use it?

14. Begin to systematically collect the evidence of
your own changes relative to the baseline

15. Why should I collect evidence over time?
1. CAN I SUBSTANTIATE MY CLAIM IT IS WORKING OR THAT
THE CHANGE /TREND IS REAL?
2. DID I ACHIEVE WHAT I PLANNED TO ACHIEVE?
3. WHAT DID I LEARN AND CAN SHARE?
Intent of collecting evidence:
• To demonstrate the outcomes of your actions i.e. cause and
effect
• To demonstrate the effects linked to climate e.g. patterns of
rainfall
• To demonstrate the links between resource condition and
costs (inputs) and returns (i.e. outputs) over 10 year period

16. What method/s should I use to collect
evidence?
• Photo point/s
• Transect/s
• What do I need to collect? – [some clues see next slide]
• When do I need to collect?
• Where do I need to collect?
• Other records
• Ask what your CMA recommends
• Complete a course and use the recommended method/s

17. Condition
components (3)
[VAST]
Attribute groups
(10)
Description of loss or gain relative to pre settlement indicator reference state
VAST-2 indicators (22)
Regenerative
capacity Fire regime 1. Area /size of fire foot prints
2. Interval between fire starts
Soil hydrology 3. Plant available water holding capacity
4. Ground water dynamics
Soil physical
state
5. Effective rooting depth of the soil profile
6. Bulk density of the soil through changes to soil structure or soil removal
Soil nutrient
state
7. Nutrient stress – rundown (deficiency) relative to reference soil fertility
8. Nutrient stress – excess (toxicity) relative to reference soil fertility
Soil biological
state
9. Organisms responsible for maintaining soil porosity and nutrient recycling
10. Surface organic matter, soil crusts
Reproductive
potential
11. Reproductive potential of overstorey structuring species
12. Reproductive potential of understorey structuring species
Vegetation
structure
Overstorey
structure
13. Overstorey top height (mean) of the plant community
14. Overstorey foliage projective cover (mean) of the plant community
15. Overstorey structural diversity (i.e. a diversity of age classes) of the stand
Understorey
structure
16. Understorey top height (mean) of the plant community
17. Understorey ground cover (mean) of the plant community
18. Understorey structural diversity (i.e. a diversity of age classes) of the plant
Species
Composition
Overstorey
composition
19. Densities of overstorey species functional groups
20. Relative number of overstorey species (richness) of indigenous :exotic spp
Understorey
composition
21. Densities of understorey species functional groups
22. Relative number of understorey species (richness) of indigenous :exotic spp

18. Case study 1
• Region:
– Monaro grasslands, Cooma
• Reference state:
– open woodland with tussock grassland overstorey
• Transformation state
– tussock grassland overstorey

19. Baseline

20. Case study 2
• Region:
– Murrumbateman, NSW
• Reference state:
– Grassy woodland with tussock grassland overstorey
• Transformation state
– Tussock grassland overstorey

21. 1962 1983 1986 1997 2004
250 hectare property ‘Talaheni’, Murrumbateman, NSW
Reporting the transformation of paddocks
VAST classes

22. Reporting the transformation of ‘Talaheni’
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
1962 1983 1986 1997 2004
Year of VAST assessment
hectares
2
31
32
33
5
6
VAST classes

23. VAST helps establish the evidence of change
and trend and helps ‘tell the story’
Residual/ unmodified
Modified
Transformed
Adventive
Replaced and
managed
Replaced /removed
Trajectories of
vegetation status
and VAST classes
reflect choices
and drivers
VAST
classes

24. More info & Acknowledgements
Contact
Richard Thackway rmthackway@outlook.com
More information
http://www.vasttransformations.com/
http://portal.tern.org.au/search
http://aceas-data.science.uq.edu.au/portal/
http://issuu.com/vasttransformations/docs/thackwaywrj109