- Property mapping and planning , with 1-5 year property plans could allow the newly engaged properties to trial some changes in the first year or two , and upscale in subsequent years as trust and momentum builds with a clear plan of how this could be achieved .
- Consider additional ongoing support aligned to landholder motivations to increase the informal field officer / landholder interaction opportunities ( i . e ., tailored training or technical support , pregnancy testing , animal nutrition , weed management , production scenarios , new incentives etc .) ( refer section 6 ).
- A statistical correlation was found that properties greater than 30,000ha were less positive about LDC Project upon reflecting the historical opportunities for improved practice adoption ( refer 6 ). This indicates that tailoring solutions to align with larger property plans is important .
There has been substantial effort in the LDC Project to work towards achievement of the project objectives . However , there will always be challenges in monitoring , evaluating and reporting against the long-term outcome related to water quality in the relatively short project timeframe of 3 years . As discussed in the LDC WQ MMR Implementation Strategy and referenced in Section 3.3.1 , pollutant reductions that occur as a result of on-ground works are likely to take many years to be realised at the end of catchment ; timeframes well outside of the current extent of the LDC Project . This highlights the importance of responses to ‘ stewardship ’ Key Evaluating Questions which are likely to show shorter term social , cultural , and economic benefits of the LDC Project which ultimately link to water quality outcomes . As strongly identified in the Design Phase , these expected outcomes need to be carefully communicated to a wide audience .
This report has presented estimates of the water quality outcomes of the activities completed in the LDC Project . Many of these are supported by modelled outputs at a range of scales – project , sub-catchment , and catchment to gauge long term impact from investment . Scientifically robust BACI monitoring at selected gully treatment sites has allowed the testing and validation of modelled assumptions . Sub-catchment scale monitoring has further validated the model in specific locations .
The water quality modelling has undergone many updates , with model confidence expected to continually improve as additional data sets become available . Modelling is still most appropriately applied at larger scales and for assessing longer term trends . Site based water quality monitoring data is essential to demonstrate the value of investment during short term projects . Confidence in water quality monitoring also takes several years of data within a seasonally variable catchment such as the BBB , often longer term monitoring is required than available funding supports . Having a longer-term plan for monitoring sites beyond funding cycle timeframes can help ensure findings are implemented .
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