Wetlands Monitoring and Evaluation Plan v1.0 2020 | Table of contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ v Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................................. vi Introduction 1 Background context ........................................................................................ 1 1.1 The 2018 Healthy Waterways Strategy .............................................................. 1 1.2 The HWS Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement Framework ............. 1 1.3 Our Wetlands Monitoring and Evaluation Plan ..................................................... 3 2 About this Wetlands MEP ................................................................................ 5 2.1 Waterbodies vs wetlands.................................................................................. 5 2.2 Regional wetland prioritisation .......................................................................... 9 2.3 Waterway Targets (for values and conditions) and Performance Objectives ........... 11 2.4 Evaluation and reporting ................................................................................. 16 Part A Monitoring performance objectives 3 Overview ...................................................................................................... 21 3.1 Regional Performance Objectives ..................................................................... 22 3.2 Wetland-specific Performance Objectives .......................................................... 23 4 Stormwater .................................................................................................. 24 5 Water quality ................................................................................................ 30 6 Water for the Environment ........................................................................... 32 7 Habitat ......................................................................................................... 38 7.1 Annual targets for spatial indicators (pest plant and animal) ................................ 60 8 Vegetation .................................................................................................... 63 8.1 Growling Grass Frog habitat specifications ......................................................... 66 8.2 Dwarf Galaxias habitat specifications ................................................................ 66 8.3 Wetland buffer specifications ........................................................................... 66 8.4 Annual targets for buffers ............................................................................... 68 i Wetlands Monitoring and Evaluation Plan v1.0 2020 | 9 Pests............................................................................................................. 70 10 Community places ...................................................................................... 74 11 Collaborative governance ........................................................................... 76 Part B Key values surveillance monitoring 12 Overview .................................................................................................... 78 12.1 Audience and needs ...................................................................................... 78 12.2 Key evaluation questions ............................................................................... 78 12.3 Summary .................................................................................................... 80 12.4 Environmental DNA (eDNA) ........................................................................... 83 13 Birds ........................................................................................................... 84 13.1 Indicators .................................................................................................... 84 13.2 Data collection ............................................................................................. 85 13.3 Data storage, processing and access .............................................................. 88 13.4 Data analysis ............................................................................................... 88 13.5 Evaluation and reporting ............................................................................... 89 13.6 Emerging/ complementary monitoring methods ............................................... 90 14 Fish ............................................................................................................. 91 14.1 Indicators .................................................................................................... 91 14.2 Data collection ............................................................................................. 92 14.3 Data storage, processing and access .............................................................. 93 14.4 Data analysis ............................................................................................... 94 14.5 Evaluation and reporting ............................................................................... 94 15 Frogs .......................................................................................................... 95 15.1 Data Collection ............................................................................................ 96 15.2 Data storage, processing and access .............................................................. 97 15.3 Data analysis ............................................................................................... 98 15.4 Evaluation and reporting ............................................................................... 98 16 Vegetation ................................................................................................ 100 16.1 Indicators .................................................................................................. 100 16.2 Data collection ........................................................................................... 104 ii Wetlands Monitoring and Evaluation Plan v1.0 2020 | 16.3 Data storage, processing and access ............................................................ 106 16.4 Evaluation - data analysis and reporting ........................................................ 106 16.5 Emerging/ complementary monitoring methods ............................................. 107 Part C Wetland condition monitoring 17 Overview .................................................................................................. 108 17.1 Audience and needs .................................................................................... 108 17.2 Key evaluation questions and monitoring objectives ....................................... 108 17.3 Summary .................................................................................................. 109 17.4 Wetland conditions in the 2018 Healthy Waterways Strategy ........................... 112 17.5 The Index of Wetland Condition ................................................................... 112 17.6 Data Collection .......................................................................................... 113 17.7 Data storage, processing and access ............................................................ 114 17.8 Evaluation - data analysis and reporting ........................................................ 115 18 Water regime ............................................................................................ 116 18.1 Indicators .................................................................................................. 116 18.2 Scoring rubric ............................................................................................ 117 18.3 Emerging/ complementary monitoring methods ............................................. 118 19 Vegetation condition................................................................................. 119 19.1 Indicators .................................................................................................. 119 19.2 Scoring rubric ............................................................................................ 120 20 Wetland buffer condition .......................................................................... 121 20.1 Indicators .................................................................................................. 121 20.2 Scoring rubric ............................................................................................ 122 20.3 Emerging/ complementary monitoring methods ............................................. 122 21 Wetland water quality .............................................................................. 124 21.1 Indicators .................................................................................................. 124 21.2 Scoring rubric ............................................................................................ 125 21.3 Emerging/ complementary monitoring methods ............................................. 126 22 Wetland habitat form ................................................................................ 127 22.1 Indicators .................................................................................................. 127 iii Wetlands Monitoring and Evaluation Plan v1.0 2020 | 22.2 Scoring rubric ...........................................................................................