Survey Design and Data Collection for the River Murray Conservation Values Model

The South Australian Murray Darling Basin (SA MDB) Natural Resource Management (NRM) Group has funded DEH to manage a project to identify the areas along the River Murray corridor (Border to Lower Lakes) that are of high biodiversity value.

This tendor is to undertake the survey design and data collection component of the RMCVM project which involves:

• Develop species diversity and habitat predictions (benchmarks) based upon the existing biological datasets and mapping, in close consultation with a small working group of DEH and DWLBC.
• Develop RFACs for each vegetation community and habitat, in close consultation with a small working group (DEH & DWLBC).This will be used to guide the field based assessment and ground-truthing component.
• Contact relevant landholders regarding gaining access to their property
• Assist with the identification of gaps in existing biological data and plan and undertake field surveys as required using appropriate methodology.
• Using the RFACs (developed above) survey each floodplain unit (102) and input data into relevant databases.
• Produce a report outlining background, methodology and results for the River Murray Conservation Values Model.
• Provide information to DEH Murraylands, on progress and financials,in line with the SA MDB NRM Group’s reporting requirements.

The benchmarks and RFACs need to be developed and agreed upon in close consultation with DEH and DWLBC staff through a Steering Group.

Additional field surveys required to fill gaps in environmental data need to be undertaken using DEH Biological Survey methodology, however this may be scaled down as appropriate.

The data collected through the RFAC and surveys need to be entered into existing DEH databases.

The timetable for the field component of this project is February – October 05 (see attached timetable).