Transcript Conflicting issues in coastal catchments

Advances in the development of the Coastal
Lake Assessment and Management (CLAM)
tool
Letcher, R.A., Ticehurst, J.L., Merritt, W.S.
Integrated Catchment Assessment and
Management Centre
Outline
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What is CLAM?
History of CLAM development
CLAM uses and development approach
Custodianship and accreditation
What is CLAM?
 The Coastal Lake Assessment and Management (CLAM)
tool was developed to allow stakeholders, in particular
Local Government Planners, to assess the social,
economic and environmental trade-offs associated with
development, remediation and use options for coastal
lakes and estuaries
 The tool consists of a software package which relies on a
Bayesian Network approach to model the lake system
• Uses a process that relies heavily on stakeholder and expert
feedback and open documentation of underlying assumptions and
data sources
 CLAM is not only a software system but an approach to
model development and communication
CLAM Tools
 Use methods developed in DNR funded pilot study
which aimed to assess the sustainability of eight coastal
lakes on NSW coast (Sustainability Assessments of
NSW Coastal Lakes: 2004 to 2005)
 Features of the CLAM tool
• Simple representation of complex systems, including social, economic,
ecological and physical processes and their connection
• Able to incorporate quantitative and qualitative data (e.g. observed data,
model simulation, expert knowledge)
• Extensive internal documentation of model and data assumptions and
quality
• Implicitly recognises the level of uncertainty in results and hence
confidence in the outputs by using conditional probabilities
• Easy to update as new information becomes available
 CLAM does not make decisions for you but can be used
to aid in decision making by clarifying the trade-offs
involved
History of CLAM
2002: Healthy Rivers Commission
Independent Inquiry into Coastal
Lakes; Cabinet Office releases a
Statement of Intent for implementation
of the Coastal Lakes Strategy
2004: As part of the CCA program,
iCAM contracted by DNR to develop
sustainability assessment
methodologies for 8 NSW coastal lakes
2006: Economic
component of Back Lake
and Merimbula Lake
CLAMs revised (DEC,
Gillespie Economics)
2006: Training workshops
on application and tailoring
of the Coastal Lake
Assessment and
Management (CLAM) tools
2005: iCAM subcontracted to
complete parts of
the HSC funded
ICM Development
project
2005: iCAM
contracted to
develop prototype
CLAM tools for
Smiths and Wallis
Lakes
2006+: CLAM project
developing applications
for 16 coastal lakes in
northern NSW (NRCMA)
What can CLAM be used for?
 To understand the social, economic and
environmental trade-offs associated with
management of coastal lakes
 To facilitate and promote discussion between
planners and the wider community regarding
the management of an estuarine system
 As an educational and learning process for
communities and government bodies
 To support development of Estuary
Management Plans
CLAM development process
Stage
Phase
1
Build understanding of constraints, issues and targets for lake and
catchment health
2
Develop an initial conceptual framework for BDN and potential future
scenarios
3
Review BDN framework with stakeholders
4
Revise initial framework
5
Populate BDN links with data
6
Incorporate the BDN model into a user friendly software platform
7
Review the interface and populated BDN with stakeholders
8
Revise interface and populated BDN to reflect stakeholder feedback
9
Distribute the sustainability assessment tool to relevant stakeholders with
appropriate training in its use
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The extent of model review in stages 7 and 8 depends on the available resources
(time, money and/or information) and the level of response from stakeholders
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Users should be aware of the aims, strengths and limitations of each CLAM tool
when using its output to inform a decision
How should CLAM be used?
 CLAM aims to represent the best available knowledge on
impacts in an integrated way
 Knowledge of many key variables is frequently very poor
• CLAM approach to is include these in the framework and use the
best available data
• Reflect and document the poor quality information to provide
direction on where further monitoring or studies should be carried
out
• Provide a framework for this information to be included in the
assessment once it becomes available
 CLAM results should always be actively questioned and should
only be accepted after close consideration
 Use CLAM as the basis of a communication process
• Do people agree or disagree with the results?
• Why?
• Can they reach consensus on the nature of the impacts? Why/why
not?
• Do these impacts matter and is there any action that could be taken
to reduce the impacts
CLAM Custodianship
 Anyone can change model data:
• This is the case with any model (not just CLAM)
• How can users ensure the model can change and grow while
maintaining the quality assurance of the product?
• Who will be allowed to have copies of the model and under what
conditions can they be used?
 Who maintains the model and ensures proper
documentation procedures are followed?
 Our preferred approach:
• CLAM management group to critically review and
manage changes into the future (data, nodes and
scenarios)
• Central management & key contact person (local
council, DNR, CMA or consultant) to maintain the
‘accepted’ CLAM
CLAM Roll-out
 CLAM is moving from a development phase
to an implementation phase
• Creating a group of people outside ANU who can
develop, update and maintain CLAM tools to
break the reliance on ANU researchers for these
tasks
• Ensuring a modest income stream to enable
maintenance and development of the software into
the future
• Quality assurance of CLAM products
Roll-out approach
 CLAM user training
• Broad based training sessions for communities on the use of
individual CLAM tools
• Aims to teach people the appropriate uses of the CLAM tool
and provide them with enough training to use CLAM for
making decisions
• Focus has been on local council staff and Councillors,
Estuary Management Committees and State Government
staff
 CLAM developer training and accreditation
• Narrow and intense training in CLAM development and
methods
• Focus has been on consultants to provide Councils etc with
a locally based and accessible group of CLAM developers
• Accreditation process to ensure maintained quality of the
CLAM approach and products
Attend training
workshop
Registration
fee
Pass all
modules
Trained
CLAM projects managed by ANUE
Accredited
application
Management
fee A
2nd application
Management
fee B
1st
Refund training
registration
costs
Future applications
Future applications
Future applications
Management
fee C
Current accreditations
Accredited
 Mat Birch, BAES
 Jennita Gay, ABER
 Charlie Hewitt, Geolink
 Verity Rollason, WBM
 Tim Ruge, Geolink
 Damon Telfer, GECO
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Trained and currently
undertaking 1st supervised
project
Angus Fergusson, ABER
Robert McKenzie, Ecotech
Group
Robert Mezzatesta, Eco
Logical Australia
David Pont, Ecotech Group
Trained
 Lachlan Whetham,
Aquafirma