Monitoring animal populations and their habitats : a practitioner's guide
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Bibliographic Information
Monitoring animal populations and their habitats : a practitioner's guide
CRC Press, c2010
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Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
In the face of so many unprecedented changes in our environment, the pressure is on scientists to lead the way toward a more sustainable future. Written by a team of ecologists, Monitoring Animal Populations and Their Habitats: A Practitioner's Guide provides a framework that natural resource managers and researchers can use to design monitoring programs that will benefit future generations by distilling the information needed to make informed decisions. In addition, this text is valuable for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses that are focused on monitoring animal populations.
With the aid of more than 90 illustrations and a four-page color insert, this book offers practical guidance for the entire monitoring process, from incorporating stakeholder input and data collection, to data management, analysis, and reporting. It establishes the basis for why, what, how, where, and when monitoring should be conducted; describes how to analyze and interpret the data; explains how to budget for monitoring efforts; and discusses how to assemble reports of use in decision-making. The book takes a multi-scaled and multi-taxa approach, focusing on monitoring vertebrate populations and upland habitats, but the recommendations and suggestions presented are applicable to a variety of monitoring programs.
Lastly, the book explores the future of monitoring techniques, enabling researchers to better plan for the future of wildlife populations and their habitats. Monitoring Animal Populations and Their Habitats: A Practitioner's Guide furthers the goal of achieving a world in which biodiversity is allowed to evolve and flourish in the face of such uncertainties as climate change, invasive species proliferation, land use expansion, and population growth.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Monitoring Resources of High Value
Monitoring as a Part of Resource Planning
Monitoring in Response to a Crisis
Monitoring in Response to Legal Challenges
Adaptive Management
An Example of Monitoring and Use of Adaptive Management
Summary
References
Lessons Learned from Current Monitoring Programs
Federal Monitoring Programs
Nongovernmental Organizations and Initiatives
Learning from Citizen-Based Monitoring
Summary
References
Community-Based Monitoring
A Conflict Over Benefits
Designing and Implementing a Community-Based Monitoring Program
Suggestions for Scientists
Summary
References
Goals and Objectives Now and Into the Future
Targeted Versus Surveillance Monitoring
Incorporating Stakeholder Objectives
Identifying Information Needs
The Anatomy of an Effective Monitoring Objective
Articulating the Scales of Population Monitoring
Data Collected to Meet the Objectives
Which Species Should be Monitored?
Intended Users of Monitoring Plans
Summary
References
Designing a Monitoring Plan
Articulating Questions to be Answered
Inventory, Monitoring, and Research
Are Data Already Available?
Types of Monitoring Designs
Beginning the Monitoring Plan
SummaryReferences
Factors to Consider When Designing the Monitoring Plan
Use of Existing Data to Inform Sampling Design
Cost
Stratification of Samples
Adaptive Sampling
Peer Review
Summary
References
Putting Monitoring to Work on the Ground
Creating a Standardized Sampling Scheme
Selection of Sample Sites
Logistics
Biological Study Ethics
Voucher Specimens
Schedule and Coordination Plan
Qualifications for Personnel
Sampling Unit Marking and Monuments
Documenting Field Monitoring Plans
Critical Areas for Standardization
Budgets
Summary
References
Field Techniques for Population Sampling and Estimation
Data Requirements
Spatial Extent
Frequently Used Techniques for Sampling Animals
Life History and Population Characteristics
Effects of Terrain and Vegetation
Merits and Limitations of Indices Compared to Estimators
Estimating Community Structure
Standardization and Protocol Review
Budget Constraints
Summary
References
Techniques for Sampling Habitat
Selecting an Appropriate Scale
Remotely Sensed Data
Consistent Documentation of Sample Sites
Ground Measurements of Habitat Elements
Methods for Ground-Based Sampling of Habitat Elements
Using Estimates of Habitat Elements to Assess Habitat Availability
Using Estimates of Habitat Elements to Assess Habitat Suitability
Assessing the Distribution of Habitat Across the Landscape
Linking Inventory Data to Satellite Imagery and GIS
Measuring Landscape Structure and Change
Summary
References
Database Management
The Basics of Database Management
The General Structure of a Monitoring Database
Digital Databases
Data Forms
Data Storage
Metadata
Consider a Database Manager
An Example of a Database Management System: FAUNA
Summary
References
Data Analysis in Monitoring
Data Visualization I: Getting to Know Your Data
Data Visualization II: Getting to Know Your Model
Possible Remedies if Parametric Assumptions Are Violated
Statistical Distribution of the Data
Abundance and Counts
Analysis of Species Occurrences and Distribution
Analysis of Trend Data
Analysis of Cause-and-Effect Monitoring Data
Paradigms of Inference: Saying Something with Your Data and Models
Retrospective Power Analysis
Summary
References
Reporting
Format of a Monitoring Report
Summary
References
Uses of the Data: Synthesis, Risk Assessment, and Decision Making
Thresholds and Trigger Points
Forecasting Trends
Predicting Patterns Over Space and Time
Synthesis of Monitoring Data
Risk Analysis
Decision Making
Summary
References
Changing the Monitoring Approach
General Precautions to Changing Methodology
When to Make a Change
Summary
References
The Future of Monitoring
Emerging Technologies
A New Conceptual Framework for Monitoring
Summary
References
Appendix Scientific Names of Species Mentioned in the Text
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"