perth ausplots presentation_070616_internet_qu
TRANSCRIPT
AusPlots
Designing a surveillance monitoring network for Australia.
Ben Sparrow – Ausplots DirectorWith help from the Ausplots [email protected]
MonitoringThere is ongoing tension between different types of monitoring regarding
their relative merits.
Often a monitoring program is judged on what would define a successful monitoring program for a different type of monitoring.
Each type of monitoring needs to be judged against its aims and objectives.
Which is better?
They all have their Place!All are needed and provide useful contributions to our
knowledge of Australian environments.
Each of these endeavours need to cooperate/ collaborate with the others to provide a holistic solution to monitoring.
The most important parts are actually the arrows!
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!
Primarily funded to support / develop ecological research infrastructure
– integrate existing data and make it accessible to the national and global ecosystem sciences community in a
common format; and
– collect new data strategically in areas of high priority to allow subsequent analysis and modeling of the assimilated
data.
In the context of AusPlots the Plots and their associated data are considered to be infrastructure.
TERN
Objectives of AusPlotsNational network of surveillance and ecosystem baseline assessment sites
Developing standardised plot assessment methods to be used for measuring and sampling vegetation and soils, and
Developing and implementing a stratification process to decide the locations of plots, which is applicable at a continental scale, and
Establish permanent plot infrastructure throughout Australia where baseline surveys of vegetation and soils will be conducted
by
Implementing the plot assessment methods developed for measuring and sampling vegetation and soils - in the locations decided, and
- analysing the samples collected, and
Storing the data and making it freely availableTo
enable the detection (and trajectory and magnitude) of environmental change across the continent to be determined.
About Our Method• Practicality/pragmatism has had to prevail
• “It’s not about developing the perfect method, but rather understanding how imperfect the method is.”
Modular Methods
• The method has been designed in modules
• Ease of use in the field
• For your own purposes (not AusPlots funded) there is the possibility of only including some modules
• For AusPlots and training purposes we will cover all modules
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
Three most dominant species nominated in each
strata, in decreasing order of cover
Structural Information
9 x 30cm Subsites to sample variability
Store samples in bags and prepare for NSA on return from the field
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
Full method details available at:
http://www.ausplots.org/useourinfrastructure/
Under the heading of Accepted Method.
Stage 1. Determining Bioregional groupings using hierarchical clustering techniques
Stage 2. Decisions on which bioregions to sample
Stage 3. GIS analysis within each bioregion
Stage 4. Field Location whilst on ground.
Where? - Stratification
Prentice/Dong u diag
Relates to a series of Temperature variables
Rel
ates
to
a s
erie
s o
f M
ois
ture
var
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Other protocols:
Since the creation of the Rangelands protocols, and their widespread acceptance we’ve added:
A Tall Eucalypt Forest protocol
A Condition assessment protocol
A Woodlands Protocol
A Vertebrate Fauna Survey Protocol,
With ongoing work on:
A Fungi Protocol
A Ground Dwelling Invertebrates
A Core attributes (quicker) method
Identifying and articulating what re-visits entail.
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
NSWNSWNT
WA
WA NSW
National
TERNTERN
TERN TERN
QLD
Consistent and accurate data collection
A Nationally accepted method
Details all aspects of method
Easy to use and well illustrated
Explains reasoning
Regularly updated
Available at:
http://www.ausplots.org/useourinfrastructure/
Designed to be used with our training course
New modules being added – Check back regularly.
5
Advanced data systems:Field App - what is it?
✤ It’s an (Android) mobile application that electronically collects field data according to the AusPlots data collection specification.
• Ensures data consistency
• Easy data upload
• Removes transcription errors
• Uses dropdowns
• Has checks and balances built in
• Robust vouchering protocol for unknown species
• Ensures all necessary data is collected
• Captures location
• Ease of use
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.
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• Ideally others will
collect the data –Want others to adopt sites.
…and many publications2015
Christmas M., Breed M., and Lowe A.J. (In review) Constraints and conservation implications for climate change adaptation in plants. Biological Conservation
Guerin G.R., Sweeney S.M., Pisanu P., Caddy-Retalic S., and Lowe A.J. (In review) Establishment of an ecosystem transect to address climate change policy questions for natural resource management. Environmental Management
Guerin G.R. and Lowe A.J. (In review) Mapping phylogenetic endemism using georeferenced branch extents. Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Guerin G.R., Ruokolainen L. and Lowe A.J. (In press) A georeferenced implementation of weighted endemism. Methods in Ecology and Evolution
2014
Bowman D.M.J.S., Williamson G.J., Keenan R.J. and Prior L.D. (2014) A warmer world will reduce tree growth in evergreen broadleaf forests: Evidence from Australian temperate and subtropical eucalypt forests. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 23(8): 925-934. (DOI: 10.1111/geb.12171)
Breed M.F., Christmas M.J. and Lowe A.J. (2014) Higher levels of multiple paternities increase seedling survival in the long-lived tree Eucalyptus gracilis.PLOSONE, 9(2) e90478 (DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0090478)
Guerin G.R., Martín-Forés I., Biffin E., Baruch Z., Breed M.F., Christmas M.J., Cross H.B. and Lowe A.J. (2014) Global change community ecology beyond species sorting: a quantitative framework based on Mediterranean Biome examples. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 23: 1062–1072.http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.12184
Guerin G.R., Biffin E., Jardine D.I., Cross H.B. and Lowe A.J. (2014) A spatially predictive baseline for monitoring multivariate species occurrences and phylogenetic shifts in Mediterranean southern Australia. Journal of Vegetation Science, 25: 338–348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12111
McCallum K., Guerin G.R., Breed M.F. and Lowe A.J. (2014) Combining population genetics, species distribution modelling and field assessments to understand a species vulnerability to climate change. Austral Ecology, 39: 17–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aec.12041
Prior L.D. and Bowman D.M.J.S. (2014) Across a macro-ecological gradient forest competition is strongest at the most productive sites. Frontiers in Plant Science, 5: 260. (DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00260)
Prior L.D. and Bowman D.M.J.S. (2014) Big eucalypts grow more slowly in a warm climate: evidence of an interaction between tree size and temperature. Global Change Biology, 20(9): 2793-2799. (DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12540)
Schut A.G.T., Wardell-Johnson G.W., Yates C.J., Keppel G., Baran I., Franklin S.E., Hopper S.D., Van Neil K., Mucina L. and Byrne M. (2014) Rapid characterisation of vegetation structure to predict refugia and climate change impacts across a global biodiversity hotspot. PLOS ONE, 9: e82778. (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082778)
Tapper S-L., Byrne M., Yates C.J., Keppel G., Hopper S.D., Van Niel K., Schut A.G.T., Mucina L. and Wardell-Johnson G.W. (2014) Isolated with persistence or dynamically connected? Genetic patterns in a common granite outcrop endemic. Diversity and Distributions, 20(9): 987-1001 (DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12185)
Tapper S-L., Byrne M., Yates C.J., Keppel G., Hopper S.D., Van Niel K., Schut A.G.T., Mucina L. and Wardell-Johnson G.W. (2014) Long-term isolation and persistence of Stypandra glauca R.Br. (Hemerocallidaceae) on granite outcrops in both mesic and arid environments in southwestern Australia. Journal of Biogeography, 41: 2032-2044. (DOI: 10.1111/jbi.12343)
• 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.
Outputs influence management and policy
Still early days for the project given that re-visits are only just starting (along with further roll out)
Assessment of soil metagenomics
Vegetation community distribution related to soil P
Taxonomy – New species and range extensions
Modelling of climate change scenarios
Government are supporting surveillance monitoring as an essential input to future state of environment
reporting.
Inform on soil crust ( and hence erosion)
++++
FAO - Global Drylands AssessmentDiscovered significant amounts of forest occurring in drylands that was previously
unknown – Ausplots Accuracy Assessment.
FAO - Global Forest Survey
Ausplots a member of the foundation committee and providing advice on:
• Standardised method
• Modular design of methods
• Data collection via App
• Data Management systems
FirePlots can be used to validate fire analysis from remote sensing sources
Also track the response of particular communities post fire.
+ Fire history notes taken at the site.
Calculating carbon
Information from
• Point intercept (cover, height, species, lifeform)
• Basal Wedge (Basal Area)
• Photopoints (Basal Area)
Can all be used as inputs to allometric equations to quantify the amount of carbon at the site.
Changes in these figures over time will provide insight to carbon sequestration.
Soil Samples, and Bulk density information is also available to calculate soil carbon and change
Monitoring and Evaluation
Methods meet D of E information requirements – They supported the creation of the new modules
Allows accurately assessment of change and so easy to monitor the effect of a management intervention
Often the “missed” bit of any project.
Ausplots addresses one the major outcomes of Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2030 – to “Implement robust national monitoring, reporting and evaluation.”
Monitoring Pastoral leases – Directly + RS
Used in the NT and Nationally to inform / validate fractional cover products
The national validation has a direct link into our database and analyses and transforms our data into a suitable format on the fly.
Assists assessing land cover change on pastoral lands.
Data collection method designed to be entirely compatible with fractional cover assessment.
Collect “in-canopy Sky” class and “Branch” categoryTranslation script written in conjunction with Auscover.
Capacity Building
Cert 1 – Kakadu
Cert 3 – MJ Rangers
Other groups join for
One off surveys.
Uni / TAFE Guest Lectures
Genuine interest in a
career in this kind of work.
TO involvement in surveys if possible – the future 10 year plan will make this more achievable.
Modular format so some modules can be adopted by ranger groups.
We aim to teach others how to monitor these plots through time, with our help only when necessary.
Photopoints close to web release:
Collect own photos using the protocols
Zip in a specified format
Submit to the website
E-mailed with the results.
Tooling – need the right tool for the right job
We can provide tools to ease data collection
New modules including citizen science if possible
Ease of data management
Collection – publication in 3 days
Easy to manage data
Web interface to DB for management
Make data easily available online
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.
A 10 year program has been confirmed from 2017/18 – Money indexed and identified in the forward estimates.
Aim to complete the roll out and commence revisits (some sites several.)
With a long term project we’re looking for long term partners / collaborators to work with.
Clearly demonstrate the value/need for long term surveillance monitoring data across the continent.
What can AusPlots offer you?www.ausplots.org.au
For details including Volunteering, HDR, Data, methods, Samples, Training, App etc.
[email protected] 8313 1201