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Assessment, monitoring and inventory

Tools for collecting wetland information, conducting assessments and gathering monitoring results are vital in the management of wetlands.

Wetland inventories are the collection of standardised data about wetlands from available data sources or through surveys.

Wetland assessments use data from wetland inventories - and analyse this data again criteria using specialised methodologies.

Wetland monitoring involves measuring wetland indicators over time that are known to indicate change in extent, condition, features or values.

There are hundreds of different assessment methods that can be used for different purposes. Careful consideration should be given to choosing the assessment method that is most suited to the study, as some methodologies may not provide the results required for the intended purpose.

Bowen River, Photo by Nick Cuff

Quick facts

~15%: of wetland area has been lost in the Murray–Darling catchment since settlement[3].

The Wetland Assessment Toolbox: is a searchable database of methods. Each method is summarised to enable users to determine the suitability for their particular purpose.

Wetland assessment

Arid Queensland after rain Photo by Nick Cuff

There are many ecological, social and economic reasons for wetland assessment. Assessment methods should be specific and purpose driven. Scientists and resource managers rely on wetland assessments to guide decision making, increase community awareness and identify long-term trends in the condition of wetlands.

Assessments may be undertaken to:

determine ecological values (or conservation values) of a wetland or group of wetlands for purposes such as protection, prioritisation and rehabilitation[2][1]
monitor wetland condition or health, either in a single event survey or over time in a structured sampling program
quantify the risk to wetland structure, processes and/or values from a pressure or activity.

Find out more.

Wetland on-line education modules

A series of on-line education modules, including Assessing wetlands, has been prepared as a resource for people who want to learn more about wetlands.

Users can download and use the contents of this education module to meet their learning and training needs. This information should be used in conjunction with information found on this website.

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References

^ Aquatic Ecosystems Toolkit Module 3: Guidelines for Identifying High Ecological Value Aquatic Ecosystems (HEVAE) (2008). [online], Australian Government, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), Canberra, ACT.. Available at: https://www.environment.gov.au/resource/aquatic-ecosystems-toolkit-module-3-guidelines-identifying-high-ecological-value-aquatic.
^ National Framework and Guidance for Describing the Ecological Character of Australia’s Ramsar Wetlands. Aquatic Ecosystems Toolkit Module 1: Guidance Paper (2008). [online], Australian Government, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), Canberra, ACT. Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/environmental/ecosystems/ae-toolkit-mod-1.html.
^ Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, (2011). State of the Environment Report. [online] Available at: https://www.stateoftheenvironment.des.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1260617/soe-report-2011.pdf [Accessed 10 October 2012].

Last updated: 8 February 2019

This page should be cited as:

Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2019) Assessment, monitoring and inventory, WetlandInfo website, accessed 20 December 2024. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/assessment/