The Ecological Health Performance Scorecards (Scorecards) program is a landscape-scale biodiversity monitoring program by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service which measures various environmental indicators to show the health of our national parks.
Monitoring includes survey techniques targeting vertebrate groups, vegetation communities and threatened ecological communities, soil and waterway condition metrics, feral animals and weeds, and fire regimes.
Monitoring takes place across the state’s national parks and data is combined with financial and management records.
This world-leading program will provide the best information on how national parks health is changing over time – whether it is improving, stable or declining.
Read the Ecological Health Performance Scorecards Q&A (PDF 162KB).
'Measuring ecological health, and linking this to our investment in management actions, is the key to delivering effective conservation for our national parks.'
— Atticus Fleming, Deputy Secretary NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
Scorecard sites
The National Parks and Wildlife Service manages more than 7 million hectares across New South Wales – from rainforest to alpine country, inland desert to the coast. The pilot program includes 8 sites from these diverse ecosystems:
- Royal–Heathcote–Garawarra
- Kosciuszko
- Myall Lakes
- Greater Blue Mountains
- Great Divide Northern Forests
- Pilliga–Warrumbungles
- Narriearra–Thurloo Downs
- Macquarie Marshes.
First Scorecard
The first Scorecard assesses a site made up of Australia’s first conservation reserve, Royal National Park, and the reserves beside it, Heathcote National Park and Garawarra State Conservation Area (Royal–Heathcote–Garawarra).
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has done surveys for small and medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals, microbats and birds in monitoring this site. We used camera traps and acoustic recorders to monitor the site and conducted dedicated bird surveys and vegetation surveys. We monitored soil health, water quality and the level of threats – feral animals and weeds are measured, and fire regimes are described. This is a huge program, which collected a lot of data.
The first Scorecard contains some good news:
- We have a widespread and diverse population of small mammals living on Sydney’s doorstep.
- Royal–Heathcote–Garawarra is a stronghold for the threatened eastern pygmy possum.
- There are species that have been recorded for the first time in Royal–Heathcote–Garawarra, such as Krefft’s glider and the threatened yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat.
- There are few weeds outside disturbed areas.
- Water quality is mostly good.
And it contains some challenges:
- Foxes occur widely across the landscape.
- Deer activity is high in some parts of Royal National Park.
- Six mammal species have likely disappeared since European settlement.
This first Scorecard gives us a snapshot of the ecological health of Royal–Heathcote–Garawarra and is an important first step to better understanding changes in the health of this site.
Eight areas of NSW national parks with Ecological Health Performance Scorecards 
The first Scorecard site is the Royal National Park, Heathcote National Park and Garawarra State Conservation Area 
Four species captured by trail cameras in Royal-Heathcote-Garawarra. Clockwise from top left: mouse, wild dog, spotted-tailed quoll, goats 
National Parks staff member using equipment to conduct a survey
Why Scorecards are important
Biodiversity monitoring is essential for conservation management. It helps assess conservation status, highlight causes of decline, find knowledge gaps and accurately report the condition of biodiversity and ecosystems.
The Scorecard findings will help guide park management decisions, finding the best management responses and applying them to park management activities on the ground. With this knowledge, we can focus our conservation efforts where they are most needed and effective.
No other scheme in the world combines ecological health indicators and financial data to help national park decision-makers adapt and optimise decisions based on evidence and cost-effectiveness.
Scorecards program into the future
The $10 million pilot program is the largest ever systematic survey for NSW national parks. It will run over 5 years, supported by a $7 million grant from the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust and donor investment of $1 million.
By late 2025, we will publish scorecards for all 8 national park sites on the Environment and Heritage website.
We will regularly monitor ecological health at existing program sites, and expand to other NSW national parks over time, to ensure accurate reporting on the condition of biodiversity.
Ecological Health Performance Scorecards: Royal–Heathcote–Garawarra