National coordination of consistent NRM data and information to inform land use
policies and planning
Richard Thackway
Land Use Symposium 2015Crawford School, ANU
29-30 June 2015
Outline
• Examples of successful data and information based on coordination/ collaboration
• What characterises good national coordination • Case study • Lessons • Conclusions
Examples of successful data and information based on coordination/ collaboration
• Many exemplars– Australian Land use– Interim Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation For Australia (IBRA) – National Wilderness Inventory (NWI)– National Vegetation Information system (NVIS)– Vegetation Assets States and Transitions (VAST)– National Invasive Species datasets (WONS)– Aquatic Ecosystems (ANAE)– Many others datasets including those associated with:
• climate, water, soils, fauna, flora, birds, forests, ground cover …
National NRM data and info for land use policy and planning has a history
• Datasets and info were:– Collected for different purposes using different methods– Inconsistent and incompatible– Stored using different standards– Disparate and patchy– Lack of seamlessness across jurisdictions because of:
• thematic detail, spatial and temporal issues
• Much effort and resources have gone into making the above datasets exemplars i.e.:– Trustworthy and authoritative – Transparent in development and maintenance – Rigorous and repeatable– Consistent across state borders – Reliable & accurate within constraints – Joint ownership of data and info products
National coordination
What do good policy and land use planners need:consistent, fit for purpose data & info
Characteristics of good underpinning cooperation /collaboration:1. Addresses a well defined problem /key question2. Agreed conceptual model / framework/ information hierarchy 3. Effective leadership /champion/ sponsor4. Unambiguous governance arrangements 5. Strong relevance to one of more policies and programs 6. Adequate resourcing (people & ~ $)7. Sound technical, scientific and IT support8. Interoperability / capacity to integrate9. Published and peer reviewed 10. Custodian/s committed to continuous improvement - spatial & temporal 11. Continuum of levels of detail /processing /standards12. Data and info products discoverable, reusable and accessible 13. Data and info products relevant to research & education14. Data and info products relevant to planners and on-ground managers15. Data and info products relevant to key client/s or partner/s
Case study: National Reserve System Program
Bioregions or IBRA dataset
Problem statement
• In the 70s and 80s Australia had a minimal commitment to policy and planning for a representative system of protected areas i.e. – A national reserve system (NRS)
• 1996 new policy was approved to develop a NRS i.e. – Based of ecosystems and NOT of the area of each jurisdictions protected
Drivers• Initially to spend $80M in partnership with the states and territories • Regularly report progress re type and extent of ecosystems protected
– Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative• Reclassify all existing & new protected areas using a common typology
– E.g. IUCN I-VI
1st approximation – a framework to build a NRS
http://media.wix.com/ugd/4f7b6e_81acc6f2469e4cd0ac18382860993b10.pdf
>10 years in the making
A data intensive and quantitative
approach
1992
30 group Environmental Regionalisation
12 attributes
12 environmental attributes classified into 30 environmental groups
Hierarchy of levels of detail – Level 1 broad
Level 1Super
Groups
Level 2Groups
Level 2 Group 20Climate profile Elevation range
Soils Levels 1 & 2
Super Groups
Land use
Vegetation cover
Level 2 Group 20
Strategic plan developed and put to the vote ~1993
• Goals, targets and objectives for the NRS• Plan included priorities for investment over time • BUT no ‘buy in’ from key stakeholders – the Environmental Regions
dataset was rejected by the Ministerial Council
What went wrong? 1st approx solution Characteristics of good coordination – re Data and info products Evaluation
Addresses a well-defined problem /key question Agreed conceptual model / framework/ information hierarchy Effective leadership /champion/ sponsor Unambiguous governance arrangements Strong relevance to one of more policies and programs Adequate resourcing (people & ~ $) Sound technical, scientific and IT support Interoperability / capacity to integrate Published and peer reviewed Custodian/s committed to continuous improvement - spatial /temporal Continuum of levels of detail /processing /standards Discoverable, reusable and accessible Relevant to research & education Relevant to planners and on-ground managers Relevant to key client/s or partner/s Environmental Regions 30 groups
2nd approximation: – a framework to build a NRS
IBRA 4 - 1995
http://media.wix.com/ugd/4f7b6e_99b934e660484fc4a10d81bbeca23f63.pdf
85 regions
Strategic plan developed and put to the vote ~1996
• Goals, targets and objectives for the NRS• Plan included priorities for investment over time • Complete ‘buy in’ from key stakeholders - the IBRA dataset was
endorsed by the Ministerial Council
Evaluation of IBRA version 4 Characteristics of good coordination – re Data and info products Evaluation
Addresses a well-defined problem /key question Agreed conceptual model / framework/ information hierarchy Effective leadership /champion/ sponsor Unambiguous governance arrangements Strong relevance to one of more policies and programs Adequate resourcing (people & ~ $) Sound technical, scientific and IT support Interoperability / capacity to integrate Published and peer reviewed Custodian/s committed to continuous improvement - spatial /temporal Continuum of levels of detail /processing /standards Discoverable, reusable and accessible Relevant to research & education Relevant to planners and on-ground managers Relevant to key client/s or partner/s
Design and implement the NRS Program
• Land acquisition projects funded jointly with the States and Territories
• Initially $80M • Commitment to monitoring, evaluation and improvement• Capacity to engage the wider community (public-private
partnerships)– Private nature conservation reserves - covenants– Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs)
Ministerial endorsement of Australian guidelines for establishing the NRS
Commonwealth of Australia (1999). Australian Guidelines for Establishing the National Reserve System. Environment Australia, Canberra.
Australia’s Strategy for the National Reserve System2009-2030
Endorsed by the Natural Resource Management Ministerial CouncilMay 2009
Proportion of IBRA bioregions included in the National Reserve System 1995-2008
http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/643fb071-77c0-49e4-ab2f-220733beb30d/files/nrsstrat.pdfhttp://www.environment.gov.au/land/nrs/about-nrs/history
IBRA 7 -2012
http://www.environment.gov.au/land/nrs/science/ibra#ibra
Evaluation of IBRA versions 5-7 Characteristics of good coordination – re Data and info products Evaluation
Addresses a well-defined problem /key question Agreed conceptual model / framework/ information hierarchy Effective leadership /champion/ sponsor Unambiguous governance arrangements Strong relevance to one of more policies and programs Adequate resourcing (people & ~ $) Sound technical, scientific and IT support Interoperability / capacity to integrate Published and peer reviewed Custodian/s committed to continuous improvement - spatial /temporal Continuum of levels of detail /processing /standards Discoverable, reusable and accessible Relevant to research & education Relevant to planners and on-ground managers Relevant to key client/s or partner/s
‘Huston - we have a problem’
• Funding for the NRS ceased in 2013• Total of $260M since 1996
– $ 80M 1995-2008– $180M 2008-13
Evaluation of the need for IBRA version 8 Characteristics of good coordination – re Data and info products Evaluation
Addresses a well-defined problem /key question Agreed conceptual model / framework/ information hierarchy Effective leadership /champion/ sponsor & Unambiguous governance arrangements & Strong relevance to one of more policies and programs & Adequate resourcing (people & ~ $) Sound technical, scientific and IT support Interoperability / capacity to integrate Published and peer reviewed Custodian/s committed to continuous improvement - spatial /temporal Continuum of levels of detail /processing /standards Discoverable, reusable and accessible Relevant to research & education Relevant to planners and on-ground managers Relevant to key client/s or partner/s &
Why has IBRA in particular been a successful example of national coordination?
• Represents an meaningful environmental representation of the landscape at various spatial scales – Based on essential environmental measures– Multiple and integrated spatial scales
• All governments variously use it to set priorities, plan investment and to monitor, evaluate and improve biodiversity conservation - not just NRS
• Most governments use it as a framework for SoE reporting • States and territories maintain it because gives them ‘skin in the game’
– Keep on improving i.e. interim and iterative • Aust Govt support for its maintenance, access, discovery and
promotion – NB: reportedly one of the most downloaded NRM dataset from Dept Envt
since 2000
IBRA Spatial data viewer and metadata
http://www.aurichtprojects.com/maps/ibra/ and http://www.auricht.com/projects/ibra-7-update/ /
Key lessons
• Key players must continually revisit land use policies and planning to ensure NRM data and info are fit for purpose and decision ready
• History shows that national coordination waxes and wanes • Where there is a lack of national leadership in the coordination of NRM
data/ info land use policy and planning becomes haphazard & localised• National info products (e.g. IBRA) can provide a sound baseline to evaluate
change and trend in underpinning essential environmental attributes
Conclusions• National coordination of NRM data and info for use in land use policy and
planning requires systems-thinking• Deciding what data, information and knowledge is important and fit for
different purposes requires ongoing coordination of communities of interest
Oliver McGee: Three Words That Make You An Influencer