Discussion
Although there is a monitoring tool now available most participants agreed that there are a number of other steps and activities that will need to be undertaken if farmer-based monitoring is to become commonplace .... and the full benefits are to be realised. Discussion revolved around the following points, which are also illustrated in figure 1:
What the different parties can gain from improved monitoring programmes
- Farmers:
To gain a better understanding of what is happening on their farms and to help with land management decision-making.
- Regional Councils:
To gain a better understanding of regional land trends for environmental reporting purposes and to help regional decision-making.
- Scientists:
To help gain a better understanding of management effects on ecosystems, and to help in determining research questions.