Guidelines for Assessing and Monitoring
Sclerophyll Bushland Health
Guidelines
Introduction The Sclerophyll bushland health guidelines have been developed for communities to measure the health of their local native sclerophyll bushland, by observing 3 main landscape features: Plants - types, structure and health Habitat – exiting and potential places for animals and plants to live and grow Disturbances that damage habitat health – such as erosion, pest invasions, pollution, and land clearing The guidelines include a number of checklists which require only minimal knowledge, experience and training to complete. For example, the ability to see the differences between different plants is required, but the knowledge to identify botanical species is not. Anyone who is interested in learning about their environment and how to collect information about it, can use methods in the CRAM Manual! This rapid assessment method is designed to be an early warning system for bushland health - a first ‘filter’ in the assessment and monitoring of sclerophyll bushland. The checklists have not been designed for professional biologists, nor are they intended to replace detailed ecological studies. The value of using CRAM methods is to indicate when further, more detailed, studies are needed as observed bushland health declines (as monitored by the checklists). Community groups, interested people, landholders and government/management agency staff can all readily use CRAM methods to find out more about their environment. What's in the guidelines ? A. Site Description Checklist (1) site description checklist (in conjunction with mapping the site) B. Monitoring Bushland Health (2-6) site features site traverse biodiversity habitat features disturbance C. Overall Assessment (7-8) summary of bushland health further assessment (non-scoring) Important conditions of Use The checklists are targeted at measuring dry or wet sclerophyll forest or woodland dominant in the Hawkesbury Nepean catchment, with the occasional pocket of other vegetation such as rainforest or heathland. Because the checklists are designed specifically for sclerophyll bushland on sandstone or shale bedrock (which covers much of the catchment), they will not function well if used in other vegetation types. The checklists are aimed mainly at remnant vegetation, but can be used on any area of sclerophyll vegetation as long as it is carried out in a defined (mapped) zone or site. They are not really designed for large areas of bushland (over 20 ha), but can be used in these areas if the assessments are repeated in smaller ‘zones’. If you would like to download these guidelines please click on the appropriate download button.