16 – Why, what, how much, and is it worth it?^217Moreover, it can be argued that serendipitous discoveries are just as likely to arise
as an auxiliary benefit of targeted monitoring programs (Nichols and Williams
2006). However, even the most strident critics of surveillance concede that existing
long-term surveillance monitoring programs should probably not be cut due to the
scarcity and value of long-term datasets.
Trading-off monitoring objectives
Monitoring programs may deliver multiple benefits. For example, the long-term
monitoring of the red-tailed black cockatoos Calyptorhynchus banksii in western
Victoria has improved knowledge of the state of the system (how many cockatoos,
rate of decline in abundance and distribution) and system processes (what they
feed on, where they nest and how populations respond to f luctuations in food
availability), and has engaged the public through an Annual Cocky Count and an
incentive scheme to encourage discovery of new nest sites (www.redtail.com.au/
Fig. 16.3. McDonald-Madden et al. (2010) provide a framework for determining whether monitoring is
appropriate for a given management and knowledge context and, if so, what sort of monitoring would be
required. Notably, under only three of the seven situations is monitoring deemed the correct course of action.
Figure reproduced with permission of the authors.