48Monitoring requirements—ecosystem condition

48 Monitoring requirements—ecosystem condition

Note: See subsections 12 and 18 of the BAI

(1) The project proponent for a replanting project must monitor progress towards: (a) the nominated restoration target; and (b) the threshold value; for each of the indicators for ecosystem condition for each activity area by making monitoring assessments of the project area in accordance with this section. (2) A monitoring assessment must be made in each reporting period for the applicable biodiversity project report (whether for category A biodiversity project reports or category B biodiversity project reports). (3) The assessment must: (a) include a field survey undertaken at, or as close as practicable to, the time of optimal plant growth for the relevant Natural Resource Management region; and (b) be undertaken by a suitably qualified person. (4) The project proponent must also make a photo survey of each activity area, by taking 6 photos of each permanent sampling plot in accordance with section 3 of Schedule 5, at the following times: (a) if a biodiversity certificate has not been issued for the replanting project—every 12 months following registration of the project; and (b) if a biodiversity certificate has been issued for the project—every 2 years following the issue of the certificate.

Note: A photo survey does not have to be undertaken by suitably qualified person.

(5) For this instrument, the project proponent makes a monitoring assessment of a project area by doing following for each activity area: (a) determine the value of each indicator for the ecosystem condition of the activity area at the time of the monitoring, in accordance with sections 5 to 10 of Schedule 5; (b) identify and record any potential threats to the project at the time of the monitoring, in the same way as for section 33; (c) identify and record any threatened species or ecological communities that occur, or are likely to occur, within the activity area and in the surrounding landscape at the time of the monitoring, in the same way as for paragraph 32(d); (d) assess the planting area and record any significant absences or mortality of plantings at the time of the monitoring. (6) For paragraph (5)(d), a significant absence or mortality of plantings occurs if more than 5% of 10m x 10m cells do not contain live trees or shrubs capable of achieving forest cover.