Why monitor?
Monitoring overview
Key drivers
There are both internal and external drivers for environmental performance monitoring. Your internal drivers may be a desire to pursue new business opportunities or to improve your environmental stewardship. Figure 1 shows some of the many external drivers for why you may want or need to monitor your environmental performance. For a more detailed discussion of the drivers of property level monitoring see A landholder’s monitoring guide for sustainable natural resource management practice, a conference paper prepared for 13th International Soil Conservation Organisation Conference held in Brisbane in July 2004.
Figure 1: Some of the key external drivers for monitoring of natural resources and environmental performance
Improving performance
During your daily activities you are continuously making observations about your property. You may keep formal records about rainfall, crop yields, management actions and farm inputs such as fertiliser use. However, emerging environmental problems are often better detected by regular monitoring of indicators that are not about production or use of the land. Land conditions tend to change slowly and changes over three (or even twenty) years may not be obvious to detect. If changes are noticed early, management practices can be modified to prevent further decline. For example, a grazier may make a mental note of the condition of their pastures during their day-to-day activities on the property. However, it can be difficult to recall accurately how the pastures looked twelve months ago, unless some observations have been recorded. Our memories are subjective and short. A documented record allows comparison with previous years and allows the data to be shared. Remember you cannot manage what you do not measure (West 2003).
Monitoring can help you determine if your management actions are benefiting or threatening your natural resources and if they are contributing to higher productivity in the longer term. So monitoring can benefit the long-term viability of your business as well as your environmental stewardship.
Managing towards your goal
How do you know if you are achieving your property goals? Many land managers have used a property management planning process to more holistically manage their farm production system. However, this process does not necessarily result in improved natural resource performance. An environmental management plan or system that includes natural resource monitoring will help you assess your progress towards natural resource targets. Figure 2 shows how, to be effective, monitoring should be included at all stages of the management process (using the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System as an example).
Figure 2: Monitoring is an integral part of the management system (adapted from NRMMC 2002, p.6)
Managing environmental impact
Whether your property drains to the Lake Eyre, the Great Barrier Reef, the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Murray Darling Basin or through a major urban centre there are many perceived and real natural resource management problems that are attributed to land practices. Monitoring is an important part of minimising the possible impacts of your land practices.
Understanding your farming system
Monitoring gives you ownership of the problem. Knowing what is happening to the natural resources on your property will increase your understanding of the impact of your farming system and your management options.
Environmental reporting
You may have a good feeling about how things are going on your property, but you could have to convince others that you are managing your property in an environmentally friendly way. Monitoring can help establish your environmental credentials and provide proof of due diligence for a third party audit or assessment by demonstrating that you are meeting your duty of care. Groups that might ask for evidence of how you are going include: your industry group, various levels of government, banks and investors, Landcare or catchment groups, regional natural resource management bodies, other non-government organisations or your market supply chain. Monitoring may also help fulfil legal or regulatory requirements that may apply to your particular enterprise, land tenure, or industry.
Marketing your stewardship and performance
Monitoring may provide you with a competitive advantage if you are involved in export or specialist niche marketing for your farm products. It will give you the information to demonstrate your environmental stewardship and may also be an industry requirement for export to some areas such as for fruit and vegetables entering the European Union. The global partnership for safe and sustainable agriculture sets requirements under EUREPGAP.
Property asset values
Monitoring can influence property asset values. Production figures and business accounts provide short-term evidence of productivity and financial performance, while natural resource monitoring provides information and a history for valuers and potential purchasers on how well the property has been managed for the long term.
Last updated: 24 June 2008