Tree demographic, tree biomass and shrub count data for two Ausplots adjacent to Credo Flux tower (Salmon Gum, SG100E and Gimlet, Gim100W). Floristic survey data and 1000 points of cover. Tree demographics was measured using a tape at 130cm for diameter and 2 different laser height finders. These gave consistently different measures and both are presented. Plot biomass was calculated from allometric regression published by Jonson and Freudenberger (2011). All shrubs with mature heights of over 0.5m were measured in ten, 10m wide by 100m transects to ensure all shrubs in the one hectare plots were counted. Floristic survey was undertaken and 1000 point intercepts recorded along 10 lines (5 north-south, 5 east-west with one point per meter) for SG100W according to Ausplots methodology (Foulkes et al., 2011)

The TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve (or Koonamore Vegetation Reserve (KVR)) is a protected area on Koonamore Station which has been fenced off from grazing since the mid 1920's. In 1925, Professor Theodore George Bentley (TGB) Osborn and his colleagues established a vegetation reserve by fencing off 400 ha of a badly overgrazed portion of the Koonamore station to study the process of recovery of vegetation in the arid zone of South Australia after the removal of grazing pressure. The fence was established to initially keep sheep and later also rabbits from the reserve and allow vegetation regeneration. The resulting long-term vegetation monitoring project at Koonamore is now over 80 years old, making it one of the longest-running monitoring series of its type in the world.; Reserve History: In the mid 1920's Professor TGB Osborn and his colleagues extended their interests in ecology and field physiology of vegetation to the arid zone of South Australia. In 1892 Dixon had warned the Royal Society of South Australia of serious degradation of the soils and vegetation resulting from pastoralism and other alien influences in the region. Equally important to the origin of KVR was the new theory of vegetation succession derived from North American work early in the century. Osborn was particularly concerned with the question as to whether overgrazing by domestic and feral herbivores would result in return of the original vegetation via recognisable 'seral' stages, or whether the changes were ?artificial, mere destructions and as such outside the ecologist's proper field?. Although the concepts of 'succession' and the scope of ecology have developed and changed much since that time, nevertheless it was interest in 'succession to climax' that gave the initial impetus to KVR and many other long-term vegetation studies from that time. The theory of vegetation succession gave rise to the permanent charted quadrat as a technique for observing vegetation change. An extensive series of permanent quadrats was set up on KVR and supplemented by a series of fixed photopoints, in order to pursue the first aim. Although some of these were allowed to lapse within five years, many others were sampled more or less regularly, some almost annually up to the present. Several early publications reviewing the progress of vegetation change resulted. Nothing was done towards the second aim but autecological and population dynamics studies are still being carried out, based on KVR and its records. The Bibliography contains a complete listing of research publications arising from work done on the Reserve. Much of the continuity of the earlier records is due to the efforts of Miss Constance Eardley, who while a lecturer in the Department of Botany, organised annual visits of students and staff to take records and maintain KVR. However, after 1950 the rate of sampling had begun to decline and in the mid 1960's ceased altogether for a period of several years. In the 1970's Dr Russell Sinclair reactivated the recording programme and also began a sustained effort at rabbit control. Although the Reserve was originally fenced with rabbit-proof netting, the rabbits were never eradicated and the population has fluctuated greatly with the seasons. Beginning in 1975, numbers have been kept very low by careful annual inspection and control. Since that time there has been marked seedling establishment of several tree and shrub species which showed little previous regeneration. The Reserve records now contain a history of the vegetation over 50 years without sheep grazing followed by over 30 years without significant grazing by either sheep or rabbits. Kangaroos and emus have never been excluded from the Reserve, as they can jump the fence, and their numbers vary with the seasons. The monitoring work at KVR and the curation of its records is continuing under the direction of Dr Sinclair. The Reserve is also used for post-graduate study and complements the arid-zone research interests of Environmental Biology at the Middleback Field Sation near Whyalla.; Site Description: The Reserve is located in the centre of Koonamore Station, a sheep-grazing lease 400 km north-east of Adelaide, South Australia (Lat. 32º07'S, Long. 139º20'E) in predominantly chenopod shrubland with mean annual rainfall of about 200mm. The area consists of a complex of low sand dunes alternating with sand plain and harder loam soils with travertine limestone on the intervening flats. The tree cover is a low open woodland formation. The sand dunes carry Acacia aneura (mulga), A. burkittii and Eremophila spp., the sand plain a dense stand of Casuarina pauper (blackoak, belah), and the harder loam soils a mixed community of Myoporum platycarpum (false sandalwood) and Alectryon oleifolius (bullock bush, rosewood). Understorey shrubs, which also form low chenopod shrubland communities in some areas, include Atriplex vesicaria (bladder saltbush), A. stipitata and Maireana sedifolia (bluebush). Numerous other chenopodiaceous shrubs also occur, and grass and ephemeral herb cover varies with the seasons. Several species of Senna, Eremophila and other shrubs also occur.; Monitoring activities: Some or all of the following monitoring activities are carried out during visits to the TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve: Vegetation Quadrats, Photopoints, Senna Quadrat (Cassia Corner), Myoporum platycarpum Plants, Saltbush Transects, Senna Populations, Kangaroo Transects, Rabbit Activity Monitoring and Control.; Vegetation Quadrats: Permanent vegetation quadrats were set up to monitor the presence of individual plant as well as their height, canopy width and general conditions over time.

The Ground Cover Reference Sites Database of South Australia has been collected by Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, South Australia as part of the Ground Cover Monitoring for Australia project. The data is being used to calibrate, validate and improve vegetation fractional cover products derived from remote sensing, in particular the satellite sensors MODIS and Landsat. The data is being used to improve the national fractional vegetation cover product of Guerschman et al. (2009) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This algorithm enables national, monthly identification of ground cover separating the photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic components by applying a linear unmixing methodology for spectral reflectance every 8 days as 16-day composites. For confidence in its ground cover estimates, the results were verified in the field at selected sites across Australia to allow more extensive calibration, validation and verification of accuracy of the remote sensing method. The Ground Cover Reference Sites Database represents the results of the field validation of remotely determined cover measurements by observing cover along point intersects with a total of 300 points (or 200 points with crops). It also has additional observations and measures such as landscape features, fire evidence, erosion evidence, biotic disturbance evidence, biomass estimates, basal area measurements, soil features and dominant vegetation species, as well as site photographs. The Ground Cover Reference Sites Database focuses on sites in extensive grazing systems of the rangelands and, to a lesser extent, in the mixed farming or intensive land use zone. Field validation aims at obtaining a wide spatial coverage of sites, with limited site revisits for temporal coverage.

The Ground Cover Reference Sites Database of Western Australia has been collected by Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia as part of the Ground Cover Monitoring for Australia project. The data is being used to calibrate, validate and improve vegetation fractional cover products derived from remote sensing, in particular the satellite sensors MODIS and Landsat. The data is being used to improve the national fractional vegetation cover product of Guerschman et al. (2009) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This algorithm enables national, monthly identification of ground cover separating the photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic components by applying a linear unmixing methodology for spectral reflectance every 8 days as 16-day composites. For confidence in its ground cover estimates, the results were verified in the field at selected sites across Australia to allow more extensive calibration, validation and verification of accuracy of the remote sensing method. The Ground Cover Reference Sites Database represents the results of the field validation of remotely determined cover measurements by observing cover along point intersects with a total of 300 points (or 200 points with crops). It also has additional observations and measures such as landscape features, fire evidence, erosion evidence, biotic disturbance evidence, biomass estimates, basal area measurements, soil features and dominant vegetation species, as well as site photographs. The Ground Cover Reference Sites Database focuses on sites in extensive grazing systems of the rangelands and, to a lesser extent, in the mixed farming or intensive land use zone. Field validation aims at obtaining a wide spatial coverage of sites, with limited site revisits for temporal coverage.

A survey conducted to determine the distribution and status of Kowaris (an endangered species) in relation to historical records: determine habitat preferences and causes of decline. The study area expanded around Lake Eyre and the Simpson-Tirari Deserts, extending south from Boulia to Marree then north to Witjira - Charlotte Waters on the SA/NT border. Survey extends into Northern Territory and Queensland. The Kowari Project Survey is part of the Biological Survey of South Australia Program which is a series of systematic surveys conducted across the state between 1971 and the present with the broad aim of providing a baseline inventory of South Australia's flora and fauna biodiversity.

The SWATT is an initiative developed collaboratively by TERN's Australian Transect Network and the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Western Australia (DPaW). The SWATT is one of four national ecological transects or plot networks that traverse key Australian terrestrial ecosystems. The principal purpose of the transects is to measure selected biodiversity attributes along with biophysical processes, that will inform key ecosystem science questions and assist with the development and validation of ecosystem models. Transects will enable benchmarking and subsequent monitoring of trends in ecological condition in response to continental scale biophysical processes such as climate change. The SWATT is located in the south west of Western Australian extending for over 1,200km from Walpole on the south coast to just beyond the former pastoral lease of Lorna Glen and into the Little Sandy Desert. The SWATT incorporates the internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot that is the Southwest Botanical Province (Myers et al. 2000, Hopper P & Gioia 2004), a national biodiversity hotspot (Central and Eastern Avon Wheatbelt) and the evolutionary significant species rich Southwest Interzone (Hopper 1979, Gibson et al. 2010) which includes the globally significant Great Western Woodlands (GWW) (Watson et al. 2009). The SWATT also intercepts another two national significant phytogeographic transitional zone, the Triodia-Acacia line (Beard 1975) and the Menzies line (Butt et al. 1977).

This survey samples the range of accessible vegetation associations systematically for flora and fauna bounded within the Yellabinna Environmental Association of 7.5.2 and Illkina Environmental Association of 7.5.1. The study area comprises the field of regular parallel dunes of the Great Victorian Desert and tracts of salt lakes. Survey sites were visited between April 1984 and April 1995 using the Standard Biological Survey of South Australia methodology. Survey is part of the Biological Survey of SA programme run by the Biological Survey & Monitoring group in DEH. Survey areas defined in a DEH spatial layer managed by DEH Environmental Information Group. Visit period 7 APR 1984 - 1 APR 1995 Vegetation and vertebrate survey. Visit period 1 - 31-MAY 2002 Photopoints only. The Yellabinna Survey is part of the Biological Survey of South Australia Program which is a series of systematic surveys conducted across the state between 1971 and the present with the broad aim of providing a baseline inventory of South Australia's flora and fauna biodiversity.

This Nullarbor survey sampled the range of vegetation associations systematically for flora and fauna using Standard Biological Survey of South Australia. In the early stages of rangeland condition monitoring in South Australia a number of photopoints were established in various places. Throughout 1956 and 1973 sites that were chosen and sampled focussed on particular plant communities or plant species. PP154 was established on Koonalda Pastoral Lease, in vegetation suited to pastoral production. Since the site was installed, the land has been declared National Park. This site is one where long term trends in vegetation change may be evaluated. Throughout 1972 and 2001 vegetation, mammals and reptiles were surveyed using Standard Biological Survey of SA methods. In 2002, Vegetation mapping of the area occurred. The Nullarbor Survey is part of the Biological Survey of South Australia Program which is a series of systematic surveys conducted across the state between 1971 and the present with the broad aim of providing a baseline inventory of South Australia's flora and fauna biodiversity.

TREND will provide the ecological infrastructure that will: quantify the richness and cover of plant species (including weeds); quantify the diversity and abundance of soil biodiversity; assess the state, spatial heterogeneity and structural complexity of vegetation, including life-stage; record vegetation and soil parameters that assist with the validation of remotely sensed ecological products; analyse vegetation structure and change based on a series of photo reference images; better estimate soil carbon and nutrient stocks; conduct taxonomic validation studies based on collected plant voucher specimens; conduct DNA barcoding and population genetic profiling based on collected tissue samples. The collation of these data will: increase understanding of the dynamics of plant species and soils; substantially increase knowledge of the carbon and other important nutrient budgets across an environmental gradient; improve quality of remote sensing products; input into DNA barcoding of Australian vegetation; help understand the biogeography underpinning and threatening processes impacting South Australian ecosystems; assist state and federal agencies to meet their monitoring and reporting obligations; create a photographic reference of South Australia&#39s bioregions to enhance existing state photo reference libraries; enable researchers and land managers to assess current land state for a variety of purposes depending on how the data is used; identify the climate zones, bioregions, land types and ecosystems where changes are occurring and the management regimes and/or pressures contributing to these changes. Overall this information will progress understanding of ecosystem processes, structure and function, and more generally progress understanding of the response to disturbance and longer term environmental change of rangeland ecosystems, which underpins sustainable management practice. Under the Biome of Australia Soil Environments (BASE) project, soil samples are collected at 14 TREND sites for subsequent physical/chemical and metabarcoding analysis. Under the Biome of Australia Soil Environments (BASE; https://ccgapps.com.au/bpa-metadata/base/) project, soil samples are collected at 14 TREND sites for subsequent physical/chemical and metabarcoding analysis.