Community Access to Natural Resources Information Program Getting the message out to Catchment Management Boards Cecilia Tram Business Development Manager Ph:

Background on CMBs Primary delivery mechanism for NR funding Integrated NR blueprints Represent broad range of NR community Community leaders

Activities Communicate, demonstrate Show an example of what is possible Understand where they are coming from Gather feedback Feed into product development and projects

Presentations and Workshops

Example of what is possible Catchment-based Water quality reporting Existing data presented by region. Automated application builder.

Feedback Not informative on its own. Needs to be integrated with other web material. Data need to be served. Initiated the project on Catchment Blueprint Products

Survey All 19 CMBs were invited to respond to the survey. 62 responses (21%) were received from within all CMBs. Inland - 33 responses Coastal - 28 responses

Information access preferences Personal contact CMB support staff Reports or journals Newsletters, brochures... Internet Environmental agency / org... Maps (paper) Geographic Info. Sys. (GIS) CD-ROM Libraries Other % Yes (multiple responses) Personal contact is still the most popular source of information. The Internet rates high. Base: 61 responses

Other websites used ABS Other (see overleaf) CANRI ERIN ANRA Environment entry in ServiceNSW * No response Base: 62 responses * Single responses % Yes (multiple responses) Over half did not use any of the listed websites for natural resources information

Other websites used for natural resources information Bearings (Office of Sydney Harbour) Birds Australia Bureau of Meteorology CSIRO DLWC, RIIS Environment Australia Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Local government MDBC NPWS NLWRA Overseas sites - particularly in relation to community processes Queensland DNRM, Long Paddock (Climate Management Info for Rural Australia) Universities and CRCs (eg. Freshwater Ecology) USDA World Wildlife Fund RESEARCH LAND MANAGEMENT ADVICE SOCIO-ECONOMIC

Frequency of access Regularly As issues arise When time permits Rarely Never 88% need to access information regularly or as issues arise Base: 59 Total responses, 42 CMB Members, 12 CMB Support Staff % Yes (single responses)

Preferred Internet information formats Ready-made maps (image or PDF for downloading and printing) Data (spreadsheets) Maps you can modify or build yourself Data that can be download for GIS applications Map on paper or information requests interpreted by specialists Other * No response Non-technical formats were preferred over GIS. Base: 62 Total responses, 45 CMB Members, 12 CMB Support Staff %Yes (multiple responses), * Single responses

Using the CANRI Website Total BY: ROLE CMB members CMB support staff BY: NEED TO ACCESS INFO. Regularly / as issues arise When time permits / rarely / never 18% use the CANRI website to access information. 14% CMB members 42% CMB staff % Yes (single response) Base: 60 Total responses; 43 CMB Members, 12 CMB Support staff.

Rating the CANRI website 77% didn’t rate the CANRI website 13% gave CANRI good to excellent ratings Most negative ratings were for ease of finding information and promotion of the website. 75% of CMB support staff and 27% of CMB members would recommend CANRI. This corresponds with their level of familiarity with the website.

Anticipated access to CANRI products SoE reports DLWC Soils/Veg Publ. RIIS (river info) DLWC Veg Clearing Rep. NR Data Directory NR Atlas Wildlife Atlas WISE (water info) PlantNet SPADE (soil profiles) Waterwatch NCC Community Mapping Landcare FaunaNet Coastal Atlas FishFiles Streamwatch MinView % Regularly+As issues arise Greater anticipated access for the websites than the current access of 18% - a promising sign. Base: 62 responses

Feedback Not user friendly Had a bad experience once and never been back Didn’t know it existed Difficult to find what you are looking for Base: All responses

Recommendation 1 Most CMB members rely on support staff to provide information. Didn’t know CANRI existed. CANRI Project Communicating CANRI training NRM agency support staff on CANRI increase publicity

Summary of Findings There is not one single website to source natural resources information. maps and data research socio-economic maps and data environmental management information CANRI could fulfil the maps and data.

Recommendation 2 The CMBs had reservations: quality of information website design speed of the website. The Site Redesign project has been influenced by comments made in the survey results, including the speed of access.

Recommendation 3 Most respondents regularly use information from CANRI agencies, and other informative websites. But not necessarily the CANRI. The One Stop Shop project in will create linkages from many websites to topics within the CANRI framework.

Recommendation 4 CMBs were interested in regionally tailored portals. The information and products currently offered seem to fall short of their needs. CANRI Projects Data Loading and Training and Catchment Blueprint Products will Add data mentioned by CMBs to CANRI’s list Provide more ready made maps for downloading and printing. Investigate maps and data presentation to inform on Catchment Blueprints