Monitoring and Evaluation - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 201

Numerous methods and techniques are used in collecting data that describe the natural envi-
ronment (Southwood and Henderson 2000; Manley et al. 2006). Knowing what data to collect is
only the first step in a series of decisions you must make (Karr and Chu 1999). Depending on the
questions being asked and the resources involved, specific methods are developed to best reflect
the environmental condition. You should collect data that is directly related to the objectives and
success criteria. The data should be collected at a level of precision that will provide reliable or
consistent information that can detect any changes. These data sets will allow you to evaluate the
status of the restoration.
Creating a Workable Monitoring Plan
A clear understanding of the project's goals and objectives is absolutely necessary in developing
a monitoring program that will serve the stakeholders. Being able to demonstrate clearly that the
objectives or trends are leading toward achievement of the project goals is an important element of
the communication commitment to your stakeholders. It may be necessary to conduct some pilot
studies to verify the ability to reliably collect consistent data, the proper use of any equipment, the
time required to collect the data, and that the method is fully understood by all participants in the
monitoring period of the project (Margoluis and Salafsky 1998).
The specific data to be collected and the frequency of collection have a direct bearing on the
budget for monitoring. Table 13-1 lists attributes and characteristics that have been monitored in
various projects, and also indicates recommended frequencies of sampling events. The monitoring
frequency is ultimately determined by your goals and objectives, site conditions, and budget and
by the desires or demands of your various stakeholders.
Ideally, development of the monitoring plans should occur after the objectives of the project
have been finalized. However, in many cases, the desire to get on with the project takes over,
and the work of sorting through all the monitoring issues becomes secondary, frequently per-
sonnel changes occur, or another organization assumes the monitoring following installation
of a project. If you come on to a project without a plan in place, you will need to develop one
immediately. The following list of questions was developed to assist not only those working on
the project from the beginning but those coming into a project already well under way or in
the postinstallation stage. The list is intended to help develop an efficient and effective mon-
itoring plan that meets the established parameters for the project by the various sponsors and
stakeholders.
• Why are you monitoring?
• What are the goals of the project?
• What are the specific objectives of the project?
• Is variation a desired objective?
• Have evaluation or performance criteria been established?
• Are the evaluation or performance criteria clearly related to the stated objectives?
• Are there criteria alternatives?
• Do the criteria incorporate natural variation?