430 Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities
species monitoring, but the resulting principles can equally be applied to
monitoring of threatened ecological communities. At the workshop, participants
presented perspectives and case studies that covered one or more of the six key
themes ref lected in this book (monitoring extent and adequacy; value of
monitoring; monitoring frameworks; monitoring program design; community
participation; and monitoring and adaptive management). The workshop
culminated in focused discussion around guiding principles that are essential
components for effective threatened species monitoring. These five principles are:
(1) engage people; (2) integrate monitoring with management; (3) plan, design and
implement a fit-for-purpose program; (4) ensure good data management and
coordination; and (5) communicate the value of monitoring.
Principle 1. Engage people
Engaging with people is critical for ensuring that monitoring of threatened species
is valued, integrated in decision making and has financial and popular support
from within institutions and across community groups, landowners and natural
resource managers. Conversely, monitoring is essential for engaging with people
(e.g. citizen science programs) to foster connections with nature and empower
communities. The diversity of people involved means that engagement should be
tailored to match the different levels of interest, willingness to be involved,
inf luence, knowledge and capacity of participants.
Natural resource managers and landowners should be involved or consulted
very early in the process of developing a monitoring program. These initial
discussions may require that relationships and trust be built before proceeding to
understand the various objectives of the different groups and developing common
or compatible goals. If key people are not involved from the beginning, then the
future of any monitoring or recommended management action may be insecure.
Furthermore, if there are varying levels of inf luence on decision making among
participants, this needs to be clarified upfront; otherwise there can be unrealistic
expectations, disappointment and ultimately disengagement from the process.
People involved in current or past monitoring or management of the target
species should be engaged to ensure that the proposed program is integrated into,
or accommodates, existing (or former but now discontinued) programs. There is
diminished advantage in establishing new programs if they do not account for
existing monitoring schemes or available data. Engaging researchers and
statisticians early in the design stage is important. Their involvement can help elicit
the key questions, how much and what kind of data are needed, and provide advice
on appropriate design, methods and analysis. Broad consultation at the design
stage with diverse groups can reveal information that is useful to the monitoring
program (e.g. Indigenous knowledge, Ens et al. 2015). It also ensures that the
monitoring program is recognised, and can be integrated with other related
actions, research or programs.