MERI framework for Australian Marine Parks

About This Project

Mosaic Insights and Alluvium were engaged by the Director of National Parks (DNP) to develop and implement a monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement (MERI) framework for Australian marine parks.

The stated objectives of the DNP are:

(a) The protection and conservation of biodiversity and other natural, cultural and heritage values; and

(b)Ecologically sustainable use and enjoyment of the natural resources within marine parks, where this is consistent with objective (a).

These key outcomes formed the basis of the MERI framework, and Mosaic Insights focused on the cultural and heritage values, as well as recreation and leisure uses of marine parks.

The framework was designed to: evaluate DNP’s effectiveness in meeting objectives, facilitate regular flow of information to inform management decisions, and help it meet regular reporting requirements.

This needed to be achievable within the limited resources of the Marine Protected Areas Branch, which posed a challenge in the careful selection of easily monitored indicators.