A presentation providing a status update for the Ausplots program as of the end of October 2013.

1. AusPlots
Past, Present and Future
Presentation by Ben Sparrow
With help from the Ausplots team

2. Current Activities
•Establish permanent plots (500)
•Stratification
•Decision making framework
•Training
•Manual
•Sampling of vegetation and soil
•Standardised, Nationally accepted method

4. Challenges
• Resource constraints make practicalities hard to reconcile with
aspirations.
• Several Bioregions per state rather than all
• Difficult engaging stakeholders in a long term program with short
term funding
• Political complexity is a challenge
• “It’s not about developing the perfect method, but rather
understanding how imperfect the method is.”

5. Science Activities
Accurate positioning
Further App Development
Database – Link to Aekos
Vegetation DNA/isotope
/functional traits
Vouchering
Soils - NSA
Metagenomics
Photopoints

6. The Future
• To date have been focused on doing what we’re
doing well
• Strategy:
• Inform how Australian environments are changing
through time and space
• Fill gaps where data collection hasn’t occurred
• Build widespread collaboration
• Engagement with user community
• Established enduring sample libraries
• Attract ongoing funding
• Fauna Protocols