Develop a Good Monitoring Program

Abstract

Monitoring and good records are key to knowing how restoration treatments are altering the ecosystem and understanding the changes. The more complex the system, or the more carefully you wish to manage it, the more elaborate monitoring and records must be. Pilots are taught to take monitoring very seriously and keep careful records; dozens of conditions are continually monitored on a large plane. It is no less essential to monitor ecosystems. Although ecosystems are infinitely more complex than a commercial airliner, monitoring and good records are often ignored, or taken too casually. Here we provide guidelines, sources of information, and forms to assist in monitoring.