The Coastal IFOA Monitoring Program includes structured reporting and review processes to ensure transparency and continuous improvement.
The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) independently chairs the NSW Forest Monitoring Steering Committee and oversees monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management.
Below you can view the plans, reviews and reports that support this program area.
Annual review and oversight
The NSW Forest Monitoring Steering Committee reviews the Coastal IFOA and the monitoring program every year.
Annual reviews:
- consider the monitoring results
- identify key insights and implications
- provide recommendations to NSW Government, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
- consider how the Coastal IFOA could better meet its objectives and outcomes.
The Steering Committee also engages stakeholders at annual forums to discuss progress and results.
The program reports to:
- Minister for Agriculture
- Minister for the Environment
- Chief Executive Officer, Environment Protection Authority
- Secretary, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Five‑yearly review
Under Coastal IFOA Protocol 38, the monitoring program must undergo a major review every five years.
This review must include:
- detailed reporting of monitoring program progress and all results
- detailed analysis of trends
- an assessment of the adequacy of the monitoring program
The NRC, on behalf of the Steering Committee, is progressing work to address these requirements.
The outcomes will inform future adaptation and improvements to the monitoring program.
Assessment of the program
On behalf of the Steering Committee, the NRC:
- engaged an independent evaluator
- called for public submissions
The independent evaluation found the monitoring program is a complex and ambitious initiative, and critically important for managing NSW forests.
Related documents
Access evaluations and submissions summary
The link above includes the:
- Independent evaluation of the Coastal IFOA monitoring program (First Person Consulting, September 2025)
- Steering Committee response to the independent evaluation (September 2025)
- Submissions summary (September 2025)
Key findings
The key findings are:
- the program’s design aligns with its objectives and Protocol 38
- implementation has been effective
- independent coordination is working well
- program value is accelerating as more data is generated, analysed and reported
- monitoring is providing useful information that is informing forest management decisions.
The evaluation also found that forestry monitoring is now far more transparent, with data more readily available than under previous arrangements.
The program has published over 30 reports, drawing on the expertise of more than 50 researchers and organisations.
This has strengthened research networks and collaboration across agencies and institutions.
Recommendations
The evaluation recommended improvements, including:
- stronger data management
- clearer monitoring priorities.
The Steering Committee reviewed these recommendations and prepared a formal response outlining supported actions.
Public submissions are available in the dropdown menu below and summarised in the submission summary.
All submissions are published in line with the program’s submission policy.
The NRC is now focused on delivering detailed reporting of monitoring progress and results.
Reporting
Annual progress reports
Access yearly progress reports
On behalf of the Steering Committee, the NRC produces annual progress reports for the Coastal IFOA monitoring program.
The fifth and most recent annual report (access in the link above) outlines achievements for 2024–25, including new monitoring and research on:
- fauna occupancy
- forest recovery post‑2019–20 wildfires
- koala browse trees
- Class 1 stream protections
The report also summarises results from the independent evaluation, which found the program is effective and generating data that informs forest management decisions.
Community engagement
The program hosts annual community forums to share results, answer questions and gather feedback.
Access our previous webinars including:
- Webinar – Fauna monitoring insights (2025)
- Webinar - Forest monitoring using LiDAR (2024)
- 2020-2023 webinars
Adaptive management
Related projects
These projects support adaptive management and continuous improvement across the monitoring program.
- Project A1: Annual Coastal IFOA health checks
- Project A2: Annual species management plan (SMP) reviews. See our Biodiversity monitoring page. SMPs are overseen by the Commission with the Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) and the EPA. FNCSW must establish SMPs for the Coastal IFOA for specific flora and fauna and include annual reporting provisions (see Condition 84 and Protocol 21). The EPA approves amendments to the SMPs.