Implementation strategy
The Council sees the plan as a blueprint for investment in natural resource management by a range of investors including: government, business, not-for-profit organisations, community organisations and individuals. All have a part to play in achieving the targets laid out in this plan. The ACT and Australian governments are major investors as are organisations such as ACTEW Corporation, ActewAGL and the National Capital Authority. Although there is no legal requirement for the ACT Government to implement this plan either in part or whole, the ACT NRM Council will continue to engage with the Minister and the Commissioner for Sustainability to increase take-up of this plan in statutory documents relating to natural resources in the ACT.
The Council will develop an investment strategy for implementing this plan over the next five years. This strategy will reflect the part played by all investors.
Government investment in the plan is through ongoing programs and specific initiatives, such as the recently announced Caring for our Country program. This Australian Government program will be delivered in the ACT in partnership with the ACT Government and the ACT NRM Council through a series of integrated programs that build on the existing Living Environment programs.
Caring for our Country and this plan will both address national priorities. With this in mind, The ACT and Australian governments, with advice from the ACT NRM Council, have agreed on the 2008/09 investments through Caring for our Country. Beyond 2008/09, Caring for our Country investment will depend on an annual business plan and bilateral agreements between the ACT and Australian governments.
Caring for our Country also provides the opportunity for collaborative partnerships that access a contestable funding component. This will allow the leveraging of investment from a variety of sources with multiple benefits.
Other strategies being developed to assist effective implementation of the plan are the:
- Communications Strategy
- Capacity Building Strategy and
- Knowledge management strategy
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Strategy.
Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement
The implementation of the ACT natural resource management plan needs to be tracked through regular and consistent monitoring, evaluation, reporting and implementation (MERI) and regular reflection leading to improvements. MERI needs to occur in relation to the plan and the Investment Strategy. Resource condition monitoring and reporting also needs to occur at regular intervals.
The ACT has a wealth of data on the condition of the natural resources of the ACT. It is brought together and analysed on a regular basis for the ACT State of the Environment Report prepared by the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment. It is proposed that the State of the Environment Report, prepared once in the life of each Legislative Assembly provide periodic resource condition reporting to inform progress in addressing changes in resource condition. Specific asset-related monitoring and reporting activities also occur periodically to inform progress against targets in addition to territory-wide reporting through the State of the Environment Report.
Funding stakeholders such as the Australian and ACT governments require their investments to be tracked and evaluated, and to receive reports on progress.
The Australian Government has prepared a draft national MERI framework and strategy that will seek endorsement from states and territories as the basis for the development of specific MERI strategies in each state and territory. It sets out the broad evaluation framework for natural resource management programs funded by Caring for Our Country and updates earlier approaches endorsed by the Australian Government, states and territories. This new framework will underpin future monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement. The framework incorporates five
important concepts:
- explicit links between planning processes, evaluation and adaptive management
- inclusion of community as an asset in addition to the biophysical assets – land, biodiversity and water
- reporting with an emphasis on outcomes
- participatory evaluation techniques and
- monitoring of program performance as well as the state and trend in the condition of assets.
This is against a minimum set of matters for target as reflected in this plan.
The Australian and ACT governments, in consultation with the Council, will be developing operational plans to implement the new framework.
Good natural resource management outcomes can only be achieved through adaptive management (i.e. planning, acting, reviewing, replanning and adapting and then acting again) but with the benefit of the previous experience and new knowledge. This builds collective knowledge about how to address local natural resource management issues and as long as this knowledge is shared, the capacity of the ACT community to act more effectively is enhanced.
The ACT natural resource management plan will be reviewed every five years to accommodate the evidence collected for state of environment and other reports and the outcomes achieved through the investments over the period. In addition, an annual review of investments will be undertaken to ensure that they are on track to achieve their identified outcomes.
Knowledge building strategy
Science needs to underpin all target setting and assessment of progress. With its key partners and stakeholders, the Council will develop a knowledge strategy that addresses the systematic management of data and its application to targets.
Keeping track
KEEPING TRACK
Monitoring and reporting on natural resource management activities to guide future investment
The Sustainability Policy and Programs group of Department of Territory and Municipal Services is monitoring and reporting on natural resource management activities and their success – essential in determining the course of future work and funding possibilities.
and Municipal Services
Photo Urban Services