Service providers and funding recipients under Australian Government natural resource management (NRM) programs are required to use the online monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement tool (MERIT) to record project data and submit reports on the progress of their projects.
About MERIT
MERIT was developed in collaboration with the Atlas of Living Australia and aims to provide consistent reporting across all Australian Government NRM programs. The data collected in MERIT is linked to Australia’s biodiversity conservation work and aggregated data is available in publicly accessible dashboards. MERIT also allows increased information sharing within the NRM community and broader public.
MERIT allows greater transparency, increased efficiency and the ability to use project data to directly report on program and high level strategies.
MERIT’s key features include:
- The ability for service providers and funding recipients to submit data related to their project such as:
- output data (e.g. number of trees planted)
- outcome data (e.g. number of target species breeding in the restored habitat)
- a blog about their project’s achievements, upcoming events or other news, and present related photos and videos.
- A map showing basic details of all projects.
- Dashboards showing information on the progress of projects, as well as aggregated program information.
MERIT user guide
This guide is designed to help NRM funding recipients with the day-to-day use of MERIT.
The layout of the document allows a logical progression through the MERIT workflow, from creation of a user account to submitting a report.
There are also instructions on the optional features of MERIT, such as how to create a blog or record announcements.
Download the guide:
- MERIT User Guide for NRM funding recipients and the public (PDF 1.71 MB)
- MERIT User Guide for NRM funding recipients and the public (DOCX 3.73 MB)
Contact us
Please contact your departmental project or grant manager for general MERI plan and reporting questions. We are committed to the ongoing development and improvement of MERIT and value your input. For technical MERIT enquiries and any feedback, please email us at MERIT@awe.gov.au.