Hi EMSA Community,
Nominate your project for an ecological restoration award!
The Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia (SERA) is calling for entries across four award categories recognising excellence in ecological restoration. We would love to see NRM projects nominate their work for these awards! Applications now open, closing on the 7th September 2026. More information on the SERA website.
Monitor App update: New features coming in Version 1.0.11
We're pleased to announce that a new release of the Monitor app (Version 1.0.11) is scheduled for next week. This update introduces several enhancements designed to improve data collection and provide greater flexibility across monitoring protocols.
Version 1.0.11 release highlights
- Optional Land Tenure field added to Plot Selection
- New Tide and Water Level fields for Fauna Ground Counts
- New Bird Sighting Notes text field
- New Survey Disturbances tally widget
Plot Selection
Users will now have the option to record Land Tenure information during plot selection through a new optional dropdown field. This addition provides greater context for survey sites while remaining flexible for projects where this information is not required.
Fauna Ground Counts
Several new fields have been added to support more detailed fauna survey observations:
- Tide dropdown field
- Water Level dropdown field
- Bird Sighting Notes free-text field
Survey Disturbances recording
A new widget has been introduced to record a Survey Disturbances tally during fauna ground counts.
These updates are part of our ongoing efforts to improve the Monitor app based on user feedback and evolving monitoring requirements. We encourage all users to update to Version 1.0.11 once it becomes available and explore the new functionality in their upcoming field surveys. Thank you to everyone who continues to provide feedback and suggestions that help shape the development of the Monitor app.
MERI and MERIT training available
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has developed a suite of free eLearning modules for Regional Delivery Partners (RDPs).
The Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) training course provides detailed information about the MERI framework. It was designed specifically to support Australian Government NRM investment programs and is recommended for anyone involved in MERI planning. It is recommended that at least one person from each RDP completes all modules in the course. DCCEEW have also developed a standalone MERI refresher module which summarises key content from the complete MERI training course. This module is suitable for learners who have previously completed the MERI training course or already have experience using the MERI framework.
Two MERIT training modules cover practical steps for developing high-quality MERI plans, and key elements of the project reporting phase in MERIT.
Our records show that just under half of all enrolled learners have not completed any training modules. We encourage RDPs to complete this highly beneficial training.
If you do not have access to DCCEEW’s learning management system, Learnhub, please contact ltmp@dcceew.gov.au to request an account.
EMSA Training in Tamworth 25-27th August
Next week, the EMSA team will be heading to Tamworth for three days of hands-on environmental monitoring training with a fully booked group. We'll be sharing practical skills in field data collection, vegetation monitoring, EMSA workflows and using the Monitor App. We can't wait to get out in the field, meet participants and work with the EMSA community.