The document discusses the Murray Catchment Management Authority's (CMA) approach to Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI). It outlines that the purpose of MERI is to assess performance and enable learning and refinement. It provides some of the Murray CMA's MERI principles, including collaborating, considering both qualitative and quantitative data, and using data for evaluation and improvement. The document also provides some outputs and outcomes data from soil and vegetation projects in the Murray region, showing improvements in areas like native vegetation cover and bird diversity.

1. Overview / Context
MERI in the MURRAY
Emmo Willinck, Murray CMA

2. - Purpose
- Principles (Murray MERI Culture)
- Soils MERI CMAs do well
- Soils MERI CMAs need to do better

3. Purpose:
- Assess Performance (were we successful in what we set out
to achieve?).
- Learning and Refinement (adaptive management - improve:
plans, investment delivery, management practices and
communication methods).

4. “Overall, the ANAO considers the information reported in the DAFF
and NHT Annual Reports has been insufficient to make an informed
judgement as to the progress of the programs towards outcomes
…….. is not possible to report meaningfully on the extent to which
outputs contribute to the outcomes sought by government.”
Auditor General Audit Report No.21 2007–08. Regional Delivery Model
for the Natural Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity
and Water Quality Performance Audit (2008).

5. Some of Murray’s MERI Principles:
• Don’t just rely on the evidence or information obtained by others - learn-by-doing
• Optimise collaboration, partnerships and community engagement.
• Consider a mix of M&E activities that gather qualitative and quantitative social,
economic and environmental information.
• Its not just about collecting data - plan and resource for data management,
interpretation, reporting and responding to occur - make sure the data is evaluated
and used.
• Preferably have datasets that can be aggregated and disaggregated at a range of
scales.
• Maintain the integrity of long-series repeated core or “back-bone” measures.

6. Soils Investment Murray Catchment (2009-2013):
109,500 ha Soil Health
5,700 ha Erosion

7. Outputs
Outcomes ? “improving soil health”
(Lots of $...lots of assumptions…and lots to
learn = High MERI priority)
“ha soil health activities” or
“XX capacity building events
to improve knowledge and skills”

8. Riverina Bioregion
No difference (to date) for: over-storey cover; groundcover other (eg.
forbs); hollows, and logs
Vegetation Condition Attributes
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Spp. Richness Mid-storey Grasses Shrubs Regeneration
Grazed as Usual
Intervention Sites
TSRs

9. Riverina Bioregion
Bird Species Richness
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Black Box Boree Grey Box Sandhill
Grazed as Usual
Intervention Sites
TSRs

10. Riverina Bioregion
Birds of Concern
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Black Box Boree Grey Box Sandhill
Grazed as Usual
Intervention Sites
TSRs

11. “…providing Caring for Our Country with
some of the most detailed evidence that our
investment is making a difference.”
Joe Ludwig (Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry)

12. South West Slopes Bioregion
2000
2006
2010
~3.5% increase in
native vegetation cover
in 20 years (2010-2010)

13. South West Slopes Bioregion
Average Bird Diversity per Site