Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• Are the evaluation criteria driven by empirical data or regulatory requirements?
• Are the criteria developed from a reference site?
• What is the time frame for meeting the criteria?
• What is the basis for this time frame?
• What data are being collected?
• Are the collected data related to an established goal?
• What is the frequency of data collection?
• Is the frequency of data collection biologically fixed?
• What are the sampling methods?
• Have you familiarized yourself with the monitoring protocols currently being used by
other restorationists at similar sites?
• Are the methods appropriate for the specific project?
• Are there more efficient means of collecting data?
• Can you use or slightly modify a standardized sampling protocol that will allow for
comparison of your restoration project data with other restoration projects in the same type
of ecosystem?
• Is it possible to reconsider methods, frequency, and quantity of data collection?
• How long is the monitoring period?
• Is the monitoring duration driven by performance or by
elapsed time of monitoring?
• Is the project planned and designed to be self-sustaining?
Carefully evaluate the resource you choose to monitor. Generally, monitoring centers on veg-
etation development or biochemical condition of the soil and water, if present. However, if an
animal species is selected that has not occurred on the site previously, you may be taking a gamble
because you must rely on the suitable habitat being present at some time during the monitoring
time period. A project that two of the authors were involved with required the verification of either
the development of the vegetation community that met the reference database that was collected
prior to project design or the documentation of nesting for an endangered species.
Several approaches have been developed to document monitoring, from simple visual inspec-
tion to detailed sampling over an extended period of time with subsequent statistical analyses
(Krebs 1989). Once it is established what data are to be collected, there also needs to be consis-
tency of how the data are collected. This is a critical attribute for monitoring; it will permit the
comparison of data collected over time. The developer of the monitoring plan should keep in
mind the ultimate goals of the project and use appropriate methods to ensure the conclusions are
supported by the collected data (Margoluis and Salafsky 1998).
Details on the data sampling method, the data sheets to be used, and the statistical analyses
to be used for the various data sets should be included in the monitoring plan. Numerous sam-
pling methods and techniques have been developed to satisfy the needs of various research efforts.
Site-specific requirements will determine which ones are suitable. Several techniques that reflect
straightforward and efficient methods of data collection are discussed here.
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