Monitoring, Extent, Pressure and Condition

Wetlands monitoring is often used as a general term to describe the collection of data on wetlands. However, wetlands monitoring has a more specific meaning and involves the repeated collection of data and its interpretation to answer particular questions about wetlands. The differences between monitoring, inventory and assessment are described in the Monitoring and Assessment page.

There are many different reasons why wetlands monitoring may be required. For example, it is important to know whether a wetland area is increasing or decreasing in size and whether the wetlands are changing in their nature and quality.

It is from wetland monitoring that the effect of pressures on wetlands can be measured and better understood. The information gathered can inform wetland management, guide prioritisation of funding, and help evaluate the effectiveness of wetland management.

One common form of monitoring, including regular collection of data to identify changes in condition or extent, is referred to as surveillance monitoring. 

Committing to a wetlands monitoring program involves the long-term collection of data, which can have high ongoing costs. If the monitoring program is not well developed, or the objectives are unclear, data collected may not answer the key questions for which the program was designed.

Any monitoring program involves the use of indicators, specific aspects of wetlands that can be measured and provide meaningful information. Examples of wetland indicators are:

• extent and distribution of wetlands
• extent and distribution of significant wetlands
• change in wetland vegetation
• changes to water regime.

Many of these indicators are high level and require specific ‘measures’ that are more easily measured and combined to provide an overall indicator result.

One of the key aspects to address before undertaking any monitoring activity is to document the understanding of how the wetland functions, including the natural variability within the wetland and the impacts of pressures on the wetland processes. This information can be summarised in the form of conceptual models or conceptual diagrams, which can then be used to guide the development of indicators for wetland.

The importance of scale in wetlands monitoring

Wetland monitoring is important at many scales.

• Individual wetland — highlighting changes to the wetland and possible reasons.
• Catchment or river basin level — highlighting the effect of catchment activities on wetland systems.
• Queensland level — highlighting the statewide status of Queensland wetlands to inform planning, assessment of potential significant wetlands, priority setting for wetland funding, strategic areas for wetland management, and reports such as the Queensland State of the Environment Report.
• Australia level — highlighting the status of wetlands throughout Australia to inform nationwide planning, priority setting for funding, coordination of wetlands covering several states/territories, and reports such as the Australian State of the Environment Report and Sustainable Rivers Audit.
• Worldwide — highlighting the status of internationally significant wetlands, to inform priority-setting, funding, and check on how well their values are being protected.

Monitoring the extent of Queensland wetlands

The extent of wetlands is a key indicator of wetland status. Because of the highly variable nature of wetlands the extent of a wetland is not easy to measure.

Queensland monitors the extent of Queensland wetlands by using statewide mapping datasets and the results are reported in the Queensland State of the Environment Report. 

Monitoring the pressure on and condition of Queensland wetlands

Monitoring wetland extent only partially helps answer questions about the condition and impacts of pressures on Queensland wetlands. Monitoring the condition of, and pressure on, wetlands is equally important. For example, while a wetland may exist, its condition may be so degraded that it does not perform well as a wetland or provide the range of values that it would if in a better condition.

While many organisations and groups are carrying out wetland condition monitoring activities, it is not always possible to compile this information at a state level because of variation in the following factors:

• different monitoring areas
• different purposes of the monitoring
• different indicators used
• different monitoring methods used
• different ways to interpret the monitoring data
• many locations of monitoring data.

The wetland assessment framework developed as part of the Queensland Wetlands Program provides a system for monitoring both pressure and condition indicators through a ‘stressor’ based framework. This allows pressures to be directly linked to condition which in turn enables the development of management actions.

Status of current and future wetland condition monitoring in Queensland

To understand the status of wetland monitoring in Queensland and to develop tools and protocols for monitoring wetland pressure and condition, a Scoping Study for Monitoring Wetland Extent and Condition was funded by the Queensland Wetlands Program. Through this project it was revealed that, although rivers and marine-estuarine systems have been monitored and assessed in Queensland for many years, lacustrine and palustrine systems are not currently monitored under any broad, consistent program.

Conceptual models (natural processes and components; stressor) have been developed and when combined with the wetland assessment framework can be used in wetland monitoring programs.

A Wetlands Information Capture system designed to capture, store and present wetland monitoring data has been developed through the Queensland Wetland Program.

Last updated: 22 October 2009