- Environmental monitoring involves repeated surveys of sites to track changes over time. Types of monitoring include surveillance, landscape, and targeted monitoring. - Ausplots is a national network of monitoring sites that collects standardized data on vegetation and soils across Australia. It aims to establish long-term monitoring sites to assess environmental change. - The method involves systematically collecting data on vegetation, soils, and environmental conditions to build a baseline and allow comparison over time. Samples and data are made available to researchers through various online databases and resources.

2. Environmental Monitoring
Ben Sparrow
Ausplots Director
TERN
The University of Adelaide

3. What will we cover today?
Types of environmental monitoring.
Details of each type.
Ausplots as an example.
Two practical exercise to experience some of
these issues.

4. Environmental monitoring
Survey/ Field Trip/ Excursion is about working
out what is there
Monitoring is about going to the same place
again and again to see how it has changed
Seasonal and long term change
Environmental change

6. Step 1. – Using Lego construct a
healthy environment

9. Why is it a health environment?
Mitch (5)
No Dead Trees
A house for Mr Frog under the leaves
A house for Mr Bat
Shade for Mr Scorpion
Good because there are lots of trees and
plants

11. Why is it a Healthy Environment?
Jake (7)
No Dead Trees
Lots of trees
Lots of animals (frog, scorpion, snake,
crocodile, bat)
Lots of flowers
Weeds under rock
Trees with roots showing
Safe places for animals to live.

12. After Eyre et. al. 2011
Population Ecology
Community
Ecology
Biogeography/
Landscape Ecology

13. Monitoring

14. Which is better?
They are all important!
The most important parts are
actually the arrows!
Need to use them together

15. Radiographer
Surgeon
Registrar
GP
Theatre Nurse
Anestesiologist
Nurse
Administrator
Radiologist

16. Surveillance Monitoring – What and where is it changing?
Landscape monitoring – When and Where is it changing?
Targeted Monitoring - Why is it changing?

17. Discuss measures

18. AusPlots
Designing a surveillance monitoring
network for Australia.

19. NOT
Because we want to know if there is a problem, but
we don’t have the resources to have the fire
department everywhere all the time!
Surveillance Monitoring

20. - ecological research infrastructure (the core environmental
information that everyone uses – Like road infrastructure)
– Make new and old information available for everyone,
from backyards to global
– Collect new data in important areas and where we don’t
know much.
In the context of AusPlots the Plots and their associated data are
considered to be infrastructure.
TERN

21. Objectives of AusPlots
National network of surveillance and ecosystem baseline assessment sites
Measuring soil and vegetation the same way everywhere and
Putting them in sensible places and
Collect plots
by
Analyzing the data (What change is happening) and making samples available
to researchers and
Making data available
To
Work out what change is happening where (and how much)

22. About Our Method
• Has to be practical – easy to use
• “It’s not about developing the perfect method, but rather
understanding how imperfect the method is.”
Modular Methods
• Pick which bits are collected where
• Mostly we collect everything

23. S1
NEN5N4N3N2N1NW
W5
W4
W3
W2
W1
SW S2 S3 S4 S5 SE
E1
E2
E3
E4
E5
What do we collect?

24. Voucher Specimens
for official Identification and future use.

25. Vouchers for genetic and isotope analysis
1. Take around 10 cm2 from
each voucher specimen
2. Place into a synthetic
tea bag and seal
3. Label with adhesive voucher
label and scan with app
4. Place bag in box with ⅓ cup
silica granules (self indicating
and non-indicating granules)
5. Seal box and ensure it is
labelled with plot identifier.
Preferably 1 box per plot.
Change silica every few days
until indicator no longer
changes colour.
6. Samples can then be
used for isotope and
DNA analyses
+ Duplicates for
Dominant
species

26. Point Intercept Data

28. Basal Wedge

29. During
After
Leaf Area Index

30. Soil Metagenomic Samples
9 Samples across the
site
Top 3cm of soil and
crust
Dried and stored

31. Soil Pit

32. 9 x 30cm
Subsites to
sample
variability
Store samples in
bags and
prepare for NSA
on return from
the field

33. Bulk density
• How much does
the dirt weigh?

34. 2.5m
1.45m
The tripod is set up at
each apex of the triangle
and a full set of photos
taken for 360 degrees at
each point.
The centre point is a star
dropper standing 1.3m
tall (if at all possible) with
a mark ( the top of the
mark) set 25cm from the
top of the pole.
Photopoints

35. Ellude to what analysis avalible

36. Full method details available at:
http://www.ausplots.org/useourinfrastructure/
Under the heading of Accepted Method.

37. AusPlots

38. Stage 1. Where to go in
Australia?
Stage 2. Which ones to do
first?
Stage 3. What do we already
know?
Stage 4. Does it seem a good
site when we get there?
Where? - Stratification

39. Addresses
knowledge gaps
Located where
there is a NEED for
data

41. Have also made methods on :
Tall Eucalypts
Condition / Health
Woodlands
Animals,
With ongoing work on:
Fungi (mushrooms)
Ants and Bugs
A Quicker method
What to do when we go back to a site

44. How is it achieved?
Extensive Networking / Collaboration / input to the process
Engage with Agricultural, Environmental, Forestry communities as well as NGO’s –
Input from all Rangeland States and Territories
The challenges of this kind of project are greater socially than they are scientifically!
SA SA
National
NationalNational
Collaborator
TAS QLD
NSW
NSW
NSWNT
WA
WA NSW
National
TERN
TERN
TERN TERN
QLD

45. One method agreed upon and used across
the country
http://www.ausplots.org/
Designed to be used with our training
course
New modules being added – Check back
regularly.

46. Field App: Plot Creation
46

47. Field App: Site Description
47

48. Field App: Veg. Vouchering
48

49. Field App: Point Intercept
49

50. Field App: Basal Wedge
50

51. Field App: Structural Summary
51

52. Field App: Plot Upload
52

53. Data Delivery System
Field Collection
Curation
Database
Storage
Retrieval

54. Data Delivery: Soils to Satellites
http://soils2sat.ala.org.au/ala-soils2sat/login/auth

55. Data Delivery: Aekos
http://www.aekos.org.au/

57. Field team
• Based in Adelaide
• Provides consistency
• Best way to use
scarce resources –
Would prefer to have
state based teams in
the future if funding
allowed.
• Well equipped
• Can train others
• Work in conjunction
with state agencies
where possible.
• Work well together in
trying conditions.

58. Training
courses
• At least one per
year
• A day of lectures
explaining all
aspects of the
method
• A day learning
each component
of our method
(Vegetation,
Soils and
Technical
Aspects)
• Focuses on
theoretical and
practical aspects
• Pragmatic
• Held in the
Rangelands

60. • Presentations
to community
groups.
• Workshops
• Targeted
presentations
(state agencies,
fed Govt.)
• Briefing
ministerial
advisors
• Well maintained website
• Conference presentations
• International reference groups /
tours
• Regular TERN Newsletter articles
to large mailing list.

61. How to get samples
At Present have collected approximately:
>10,000 Soil samples
~2700 Soil metagenomic Samples
>15000 Voucher specimens
~ 15000 Genetic Samples
~ 16000 Dominant Genetic replicates
All of which can be access following standard protocols
Information pack available for download at our website
Details how to get access.

62. What can AusPlots offer you?
www.ausplots.org.au
For details including Volunteering, HDR, Data, methods,
Samples, Training, App etc.
Ben.sparrow@adelaide.edu.au
08 8313 1201