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Effective Ecological Monitoring
Ecologists and managers of natural resources readily acknowledge the importance of long-term studies and monitoring for improved understanding and management of complex environmental systems. Long-term data are crucially important for providing baselines for evaluating environmental change. They are also fundamental for detecting and evaluating changes in ecosystem structure and function, and for evaluating response to disturbances such as climate change or pollution. Countless scientific articles, books, management plans and other documents have been written about the need to conduct long-term studies and monitoring. However, although there have undoubtedly been some highly successful long-term ecological studies and monitoring programs, there is a history of poorly planned and unfocused efforts that are either ineffective or fail completely.

In this book, the authors outline some of the key pitfalls and deficiencies in ecological monitoring programs and long-term studies. They then describe some the features of monitoring programs and long-term studies that are essential to make them viable, using case studies such as those of Rothamsted (UK) and the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (USA). Based upon their collective experience spanning 70 years in establishing long-term studies and natural resource monitoring programs, the authors propose a new approach, which they call Adaptive Monitoring, to resolve some of these problems underlying poorly planned and unfocused monitoring programs.

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Effective Ecological Monitoring
Ecologists and managers of natural resources readily acknowledge the importance of long-term studies and monitoring for improved understanding and management of complex environmental systems. Long-term data are crucially important for providing baselines for evaluating environmental change. They are also fundamental for detecting and evaluating changes in ecosystem structure and function, and for evaluating response to disturbances such as climate change or pollution. Countless scientific articles, books, management plans and other documents have been written about the need to conduct long-term studies and monitoring. However, although there have undoubtedly been some highly successful long-term ecological studies and monitoring programs, there is a history of poorly planned and unfocused efforts that are either ineffective or fail completely.

In this book, the authors outline some of the key pitfalls and deficiencies in ecological monitoring programs and long-term studies. They then describe some the features of monitoring programs and long-term studies that are essential to make them viable, using case studies such as those of Rothamsted (UK) and the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (USA). Based upon their collective experience spanning 70 years in establishing long-term studies and natural resource monitoring programs, the authors propose a new approach, which they call Adaptive Monitoring, to resolve some of these problems underlying poorly planned and unfocused monitoring programs.

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Effective Ecological Monitoring

Effective Ecological Monitoring

Effective Ecological Monitoring

Effective Ecological Monitoring

Overview

Ecologists and managers of natural resources readily acknowledge the importance of long-term studies and monitoring for improved understanding and management of complex environmental systems. Long-term data are crucially important for providing baselines for evaluating environmental change. They are also fundamental for detecting and evaluating changes in ecosystem structure and function, and for evaluating response to disturbances such as climate change or pollution. Countless scientific articles, books, management plans and other documents have been written about the need to conduct long-term studies and monitoring. However, although there have undoubtedly been some highly successful long-term ecological studies and monitoring programs, there is a history of poorly planned and unfocused efforts that are either ineffective or fail completely.

In this book, the authors outline some of the key pitfalls and deficiencies in ecological monitoring programs and long-term studies. They then describe some the features of monitoring programs and long-term studies that are essential to make them viable, using case studies such as those of Rothamsted (UK) and the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (USA). Based upon their collective experience spanning 70 years in establishing long-term studies and natural resource monitoring programs, the authors propose a new approach, which they call Adaptive Monitoring, to resolve some of these problems underlying poorly planned and unfocused monitoring programs.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781849711456
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Publication date: 05/26/2010
Edition description: 1
Pages: 182
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

David B. Lindenmayer is a Research Professor at The Australian National University in Canberra. He has published more than 20 books and over 500 scientific articles in international journals.

Gene E. Likens is an ecologist best known for discovering acid rain in North America, for co-founding the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study and the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York. He holds faculty positions at Yale, Cornell and Rutgers Universities, State University of New York at Albany, and University of Connecticut and was awarded the 2001 National Medal of Science. He is the author, co-author or editor of 29 books and over 580 scientific papers and articles.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Preface ix

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Some of the ecological values and uses of long-term datasets 3

Time until expression 4

Use in simulation modelling 6

Tests of ecological theory 8

Surprises 8

Poor record of long-term ecological monitoring 8

Why we wrote this book 11

References 13

Chapter 2 Why Monitoring Fails 17

Characteristics of ineffective monitoring programs 18

Passive, mindless and lacking questions 18

Poor experimental design 19

Snowed by a blizzard of ecological details 20

Squabbles about what to monitor - 'It's not monitoring without the mayflies' 21

Assumption that 'one-size-fits-all' 26

Big machines that go 'bing' 27

Disengagement 28

Poor data management 29

Breaches of data integrity 30

Other factors contributing to ineffective monitoring programs 32

Lack of funding - grant myopia 32

The loss of a champion 33

Out of nowhere 34

Excessive bureaucracy 34

Summary 36

References 37

Chapter 3 What Makes Effective Long-Term Monitoring" 53

Characteristics of effective monitoring programs 53

Good questions and evolving questions 54

The use of a conceptual model 55

Selection of appropriate entities to measure 57

Good design 57

Well-developed partnerships 59

Strong and dedicated leadership 63

Ongoing funding 67

Frequent use of data 68

Scientific productivity 69

Maintenance of data integrity and calibration of field techniques 70

Little things matter a lot! Some 'tricks of the trade' 70

Field transport 70

Field staff 71

Access to field sites 71

Time in the field 71

The Adaptive Monitoring framework 72

A hypothetical example of how the Adaptive Monitoring framework works 73

Adaptive Monitoring is a general and not a prescriptive framework 74

Increased future role for Adaptive Monitoring 75

Summary 77

References 79

Chapter 4 The Problematic, the Effective and the Ugly - Some Case Studies 87

The problematic 89

PPBio Australasia 89

The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program (ABMP) 92

EMAP 99

NEON/TERN 103

The effective 108

Rothamsted 108

Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchment Partnership 111

The Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study 116

The Central Highlands of Victoria, south-eastern Australia 124

The ugly 137

Summary 137

References 138

Chapter 5 The Upshot-Our General Conclusions 147

Changes in culture needed to facilitate monitoring 148

The academic culture and rewards systems 148

Structure of organisations 151

Intellectual property issues 152

Funding 152

Societal culture 153

Good things that can come from non-question-based monitoring 154

The next big challenge - integrating different kinds of monitoring 155

Approaches to integrate data from question-driven monitoring and mandated monitoring 161

References 163

Index 166

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