This document outlines a monitoring and reporting process that includes defining issues of interest and related information needs, scoping the area and time scale, developing conceptual models, selecting cost-effective indicators, establishing hypotheses, designing a study in accordance with established guidelines, accounting for environmental variability, selecting and justifying sites, determining sampling frequency, identifying collection and analysis methods, and planning reporting of results. The goal is to design an effective monitoring program through a step-by-step process addressing key considerations like scope, indicators, study design, and reporting.

1. Monitoring and reporting proforma
Issue Nominate an issue in
your region that
might have some
monitoring
requirement
Define one or more
of the information
needs that relate to
the issue.
Information
needs
Define the general
spatial extent of the
area of interest
Existing
Information.
Is monitoring
required?
Consider whether
monitoring is the
best or only way to
address the defined
information needs
Construct a simple
conceptual model(s)
that relates to the
information need(s)
Conceptual
Model
Scale of program:
Boundaries:
Time scale:
Resources:
Indicators From the conceptual
model, select
indicators that relate
to the information
need and which are
also cost effective
Hypotheses /
Objectives
Write down at least
one hypothesis for
each information
need – be as specific
and quantitative as
possible
Study design With reference to the
ANZECC 2000
Monitoring
Guidelines, briefly
describe what sort of
study design you
will be adopting
Environmental
variability
State how you will
establish the
environmental
variability of your
selected indicators
Sites Select sites and
provide a rationale
for your selection
Sampling
Frequency
Identify sampling
frequency and justify
this
Methods What prescribed
methods will you
use to collect
samples?
Analyses How will your data
be analysed &
presented?
Reporting How do you intend
to report your
results