Catchment Condition Indicators
The Victorian Catchment Indicators Online website (external link) provides current information and maps about the management and changing condition of Victoria's land and water resources. It provides information on a number of indicators relating to Land, Waterways, Managing Water, Biodiversity and the Socio-Economic Setting.
Catchment condition monitoring is required throughout Victoria so that natural resource management agencies have the most up to date and reliable information about the status of the State’s land and water resources. This is necessary to be able to make strategic policy decisions regarding human use (and the resulting impacts of such uses) on these resources.
The role of the Department of Sustainability & Environment (DSE) in monitoring catchment condition is to enable reporting of land and water condition while using this monitoring data and information to manage and evaluate DSEs programs.
The role of the Victorian Catchment Management Council (VCMC) is to advise the Victorian Government on land and water resource management at the State level. Established under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994, the VCMC reports directly to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. The VCMC is responsible for advising on Statewide matters, including priorities, the condition and management of resources, and research needs. It also has a Statuatory role in encouraging cooperation between organisations involved in catchment amendment, and raising awareness of issues. The VCMC and the ten regional Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) constitute the community-based institutional framework for catchment management in Victoria. The goal of the current Council is to achieve measurable improvements in river health and the sustainability of resource based industries (Ern Cattach, pers. comm.).
Other monitoring roles and responsibilities fall upon rural and urban water authorities throughout the State, including monitoring and reporting on factors such as surface water quality, streamflow and irrigation allocations, usage and restrictions.
The two main aims of catchment condition monitoring in Victoria are:
1. Keeping the catchment indicators development process open and transparent, and
2. Continuing to ensure that the indicators are linked with federal indicator programs, as well as CMA and DSE reporting requirements.
The indicators developed by DSE are to fulfil two roles - first, to enable reporting of land and water condition, and the second, management and evaluation of DSEs programs. The first role is a legislative requirement, whereas the second fulfils the business needs of both CMAs and DSE.
© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2008.
This document was last reviewed on 04/09/2008