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The Commission is overseeing different forest monitoring and research projects being undertaken by scientists across government, academia, the private sector and the community. We have refreshed our webpage to provide more content in a more accessible way to help you learn more about what data is being collected by who and when it will be shared. READ MORE about the Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program. Want to know more about monitoring forestry on NSW state forests? Check out our Coastal IFOA monitoring program webpage.

Susan Madden has been appointed as an Assistant Commissioner of the Natural Resources Commission. Susan has over 20 years’ experience working in agriculture and natural resources management. This includes experience in undertaking economic analysis and providing policy advice on major reform initiatives in water, native vegetation, fisheries, forestry, biosecurity and agriculture.

The NSW Environmental Trust has asked the Commission to evaluate the Murrah koala flora reserve project. The Murrah Flora Reserves aim to protect important habitat for the last remaining koala population on the NSW Far South Coast and Aboriginal cultural heritage.

The NSW Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program’s initial investment of over $2 million with 20 project partners is now delivering early data, finding and insights on NSW forest ecosystems and the communities they support. For example, the program has collated over 30 years of historical data to baseline forest extent and distribution of native species. Projects will continue to deliver valuable data and insights in 2021. The community and researchers can access data in 2021 after data is further quality assured.

Mr Bhiamie Williamson from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at the Australian National University has joined the NSW Forest Monitoring Steering Committee as a permanent independent expert advisor. Bhiamie is a Euahlayi man from north-west NSW. His research interests include natural resource management, cultural burning and facilitating sustainable community development pathways. In addition, the Commission has engaged the Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council and Brungle Tumut Local Aboriginal Land Council to lead cultural values and renewal assessments in their regions under the NSW Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program. Coffs Harbour Local Aboriginal Land Council are currently undertaking similar assessments focused on the impacts of the 2019/20 wildfires in their region.

The Commission has completed its first audit in line with its statutory responsibility under Section 44 of the Water Management Act 2000 (Act). The audit report was provided to the Minister for Water, Property and Housing in August 2020 and is now available on this website. The report covers the audit of the implementation of the following plans:

• Lachlan River (Gooloogong to Jemalong Gap) 2011
• Lachlan River (Jemalong Gap to Condobolin) 2012
• Lachlan River, Hillston, Lake Brewster to Whealbah 2005
• Stage 1: Edward and Wakool Rivers (Deniliquin to Moama-Moulamein Railway) 2010
• Stage 2: Wakool River (Moama-Moulamein Railway to Gee Gee Bridge) 2010
• Stage 3: Edward and Niemur Rivers (Moama-Moulamein Railway to Liewah and Mallan) 2010
• Lower Edward and Wakool Rivers (Stage 4) (Noorang Rd to Wakool Murray Junction) 2000
• Tuppal and Bullatale Creeks (Murray River Uptake to Deniliquin) 2004
• Billabong Creek (Walbundrie to Jerilderie) 2006
• Murrumbidgee River (Hay to Maude) 2014.

The Commission has provided its Annual Report 2019-2020 to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces for presentation to the NSW Parliament. The report will be published on the Commission website after it has been tabled in the Parliament.

The Commission has published scientifically robust plans to monitor and evaluate whether the coastal IFOA is achieving objectives and outcomes. Plans are also in place to determine whether the Coastal IFOA is having a neutral, positive or negative impact on landscape-scale environmental values or wood supply. Evidence to inform adaptive management processes will ensure timely and continual improvement.

The Commission has completed its first audit in line with its statutory responsibility under Section 44 of the Water Management Act 2000 (Act). The audit report was provided to the Minister for Water, Property and Housing in August 2020, and will be published shortly on this website. The report covers the audit of implementation of the following plans:

• Lachlan River (Gooloogong to Jemalong Gap) 2011
• Lachlan River (Jemalong Gap to Condobolin) 2012
• Lachlan River, Hillston, Lake Brewster to Whealbah 2005
• Stage 1: Edward and Wakool Rivers (Deniliquin to Moama-Moulamein Railway) 2010
• Stage 2: Wakool River (Moama-Moulamein Railway to Gee Gee Bridge) 2010
• Stage 3: Edward and Niemur Rivers (Moama-Moulamein Railway to Liewah and Mallan) 2010
• Lower Edward and Wakool Rivers (Stage 4) (Noorang Rd to Wakool Murray Junction) 2000
• Tuppal and Bullatale Creeks (Murray River Uptake to Deniliquin) 2004
• Billabong Creek (Walbundrie to Jerilderie) 2006
• Murrumbidgee River (Hay to Maude) 2014.

Following their submission to the Minister for Water, Property and Housing in May, the Commission has released its final review reports for the following water sharing plans:

• Central Coast Unregulated Water Sources
• Coffs Harbour Area Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources
• Hunter Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources
• Lower North Coast Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources
• Peel Valley Regulated, Unregulated, Alluvial and Fractured Rock Water Sources.

The Commission is seeking to connect the citizen science community to the NSW Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program. Working with the Australian Citizen Science Association and its networks, the Commission will identify existing citizen science data and projects that can support the program objectives.

NSW Government partners with Australia’s leading scientists to deliver data for better forest management across national parks, state forests, crown land and private forested land. The Commission, as chair of the Forest Monitoring Steering Committee, has partnered with 10 universities, the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Regional NSW, Aboriginal organisations and private consultancies to deliver nation leading forest monitoring services. The Steering Committee has approved 11 new monitoring projects on:

• data services
• forest-dependent jobs
• Aboriginal culture and renewal (x2)
• baselines, trends and drivers for forest extent, condition and health
• carbon balance of NSW forests
• baselines, trends and drivers for forest species occupancy and distribution
• fauna call recognisers
• baselines, trends and drivers for water quality and quantity in forest catchments
• baselines, trends and drivers for soil stability and health in forest catchments
• evaluating forest road network to protect forest waterways.

This new work will build on previous investments in assessing post-wildfire impacts to support recovery planning, and monitoring north coast fauna.

The NSW Government has suspended the program to reassess old growth forest mapping on coastal state forests and approved the repurposing of the remaining funds to the Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program.

The 2019-20 fires burnt significant areas of old growth forest and its canopy. The proposed methods under the draft Old Growth Reassessment Framework rely on a remote sensing technique that looks at the forest canopy as a way to indicate areas of structurally mature forest for further field investigation. If the canopy is burnt this method cannot be accurately applied.

The Governor of NSW has appointed Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte as the new Natural Resources Commissioner for five years. Hugh is also the Chief Scientist and Engineer for NSW and will retain that role. He will be working flexibly across both of these roles, and his other roles.

The Forest Monitoring Steering Committee has approved six new monitoring projects on data services, forest-dependent jobs, Aboriginal culture and renewal, evaluating forest road network, carbon balance of NSW forests, and baselines, trends and drivers for forest water catchments.

The Commission invites submissions from the public to inform its reviews of five coastal water sharing plans. The reviews will focus on the extent to which the water sharing provisions in the plans have materially contributed to the achievement of, or the failure to achieve, environmental, social and economic outcomes. They will also identify whether changes to these provisions are warranted. The submissions close on 5 July 2020.

The Commission has provided its final review reports for the following water sharing plans to the Minister: Central Coast Unregulated Water Sources, Coffs Harbour Area Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources, Hunter Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources, Lower North Coast Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources, and Peel Valley Regulated, Unregulated, Alluvial and Fractured Rock Water Sources. Later, these reports will be made available on this website.

The Commission has established two streams to guide program investment and address the state-wide evaluation questions. The Forest Monitoring Steering Committee has endorsed a set of state-wide evaluations questions to guide the future delivery of the program. The questions will link monitoring, evaluation and research to government, stakeholder and community needs about the ecologically sustainable management of NSW forests.

The Environmental Trust has accepted the Commission's advice on research priorities for untangling the causes of tree dieback. Earlier, the Trust engaged the Commission to oversee the delivery of a research program to better understand the causes of eucalyptus dieback in New South Wales.

Following a policy review trigger for the Land Management and Biodiversity Conservation reforms being reached in October 2018, the Commission provided independent, evidence-based advice to the NSW Government. Based on the findings of the review, the Commission provided the NSW Government a suite of recommendations to strengthen the Land Management and Biodiversity Conservation reform outcomes.

The Commission presented preliminary findings for its review of Peel Valley water sharing plan at the Namoi Stakeholder Advisory Panel on 30 March 2020. Feedback to the Commission can be provided by 14 April 2020.

The Commission has overseen the development of the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA) monitoring program, which has now been jointly approved by the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Environment Protection Authority and the Director General of the Department of Primary Industries in March 2020. A detailed monitoring plan for implementation of the program will now be developed. This will include detailed design of the monitoring strategies and key performance indicators.

The Commission released an annual progress report on the koala research program. The report explains the progress of the research program to-date and the implications of drought and the 2019/20 wildfires on the program. The report also sets out research opportunities to investigate post-fire impacts.

The Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Environment Protection Authority and the Deputy Director General of the Department of Primary Industries have provided joint approval of the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA) Monitoring Program 2019-2024. The program centres on nine monitoring strategies that will evaluate the effectiveness of priority conditions in meeting the Coastal IFOA objectives and outcomes.

The Forest Monitoring Steering Committee has endorsed the Coastal IFOA Monitoring Program 2019-2024 which has been submitted for joint approval by the Chief Executive Officer of the Environment Protection Authority and the Director General of the Department of Primary Industries.

The Forest Monitoring Improvement Program Steering Committee has approved funding for two foundational projects to support post-fire ecological recovery and track changes in fauna occupancy including koalas. A key deliverable under the Program Framework 2019-2024 is to establish foundational projects to provide early building blocks for the program.

The Environmental Trust has received and are considering the Commission's recommendations on the evaluation of the Trust's Major Projects Program – one of the NSW Government’s largest environmental funding programs. The Commission's evaluation focused on the current governance processes to assess whether the Program’s decision making processes are sound, fit for purpose and maximise public value from the Trust’s investment.

Dr Keniry has been planning to retire from the Commission for some time and has confirmed that after eight years he will retire on the 13 December 2019. In the last annual report he indicated: “It has been a privilege to lead the Commission over most of the past eight years, and the opportunity, as an organisation that is independent within government, to contribute to policy review and development across a wide range of natural resource management issues. I wish the Commission well in the future.”

The NSW Forest Monitoring and Improvement Steering Committee, independently chaired by the Natural Resources Commission, has developed a draft monitoring program for the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA). The Commission invites comment on the draft monitoring program from all interested parties by 8 November 2019.

The Commission has submitted today to the Minister for Water its final report on the review of the Water Sharing Plan for the Barwon-Darling Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources 2012. The Commission would like to thank the 1,231 respondents who provided submissions throughout this review. The Commission has considered these submissions in finalising the review.

The Environmental Trust engaged the Commission to review the condition, pressures and management approaches for NSW coastal rivers and wetlands, to better understand the barriers and keys to success for improving their health. The investigation aims to identify where and what to invest in for the best environmental return on investment for NSW coasts.

The Commission has published on this website submissions received on the draft report for the Barwon-Darling water sharing plan review. The Commission is now considering these submissions to finalise its review to be submitted to the Minister in September 2019.

The Commission invites submissions on its review of the following five water sharing plans: Hunter Unregulated and Alluvial; Lower North Coast Unregulated and Alluvial; Peel Valley Regulated, Unregulated Alluvial and Fractured Rock; Greater Metropolitan Region Unregulated River; and Greater Metropolitan Region Groundwater. Submissions are to address five key questions in relation to social, environmental and economic outcomes, and opportunities for improvement. Submissions close on 25 October 2019

The Commission is now considering the submissions received for the draft Program Strategy to finalise the Program Strategy.

The draft report for the Commission’s independent review of the Barwon-Darling water sharing plan is now on public exhibition. Submissions are invited by 22 August 2019.

The then Minister for Primary Industries has endorsed all of the Commission’s 18 recommendations on the audit of Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Local Land Services’ emergency response capability. DPI and Local Land Services have prepared an action plan to implement these recommendations, building on a reform program already initiated.

The Commission has published on its website all non-confidential submissions received for the review of Barwon-Darling water sharing plan. The Commission is now considering the submissions to inform its draft report. The draft report will be released in July 2019 for public consultation.

The Premier has asked the Commission under a terms of reference to independently oversee and advise on a state-wide monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement program for NSW forests. The Commission invited public comment on the draft Program Strategy. The comment period ended on 4 July 2019.

At the request of the Premier, the Commission to independently overseeing a program to reassess existing old growth forest mapping on coastal state forests. The Commission has posted two videos to explain its work.

Submissions are now closed for the review of Barwon-Darling water sharing plan. The Commission has received 70 submissions which will be made publicly available shortly. The Commission thanks every individual and organisation who provided submissions. The draft report will be released in July 2019 for public consultation.

The Premier has asked the Commission under a terms of reference to independently oversee and advise on a state-wide monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement program for NSW forests. The program will improve the evidence-base for decision-making for forest management across tenures. This will strengthen the NSW Government’s ability to strategically and adaptively manage forests and forestry practices over time, including state forests, national parks, private native forests and crown forested land.

The NSW Government has asked the Commission to oversee an independent research program to better understand how koalas are responding to regeneration harvesting in state forests on the NSW North Coast. The Commission has selected three research projects to investigate how koalas are responding to regeneration harvesting in state forests on the NSW North Coast.

The NSW Government has approved amendments to the Natural Resources Commission Act 2003 and these amendments have commenced on 10 December 2018. These amendments follow a Department of Premier and Cabinet review into the functions and performance of the Commission. The amendments will help further position the Commission as an independent source of high quality advice to Government into the future.

The amendments clarify that the Commission's functions include:

• to advise on strategic and investment priorities in natural resource management, as required by the Minister
• to undertake audits and reviews of natural resource management issues, as required by the Minister, including audits and reviews relating to forestry and water management issues
• to advise on program design for natural resources management, as required by the Minister
• to conduct audits of State and local strategic plans under the Local Land Services Act at the request of the Minister administering that Act.

The amendments also take the opportunity to update and modernise the object of the Act, including by replacing the reference to establishing a "sound scientific basis" with a reference to establishing a "sound evidence basis" for the properly informed management of natural resources in the social, economic and environmental interests of the State. The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that the Commission considers all scientific, environmental, economic, social and cultural knowledge in providing advice to Government.