Institutionalizing an effective long-term monitoring program in the U.S. National Park Service

Fancy, Steven; Bennetts, Robert

Examples and "key lessons learned" from experience in planning and designing a long-term ecological monitoring program for more than 270 parks in the US National Park Service. Managers of natural resources need reliable scientific data and information on the status and trends in the condition of key resources as a basis for conservation planning, determining whether current management practices are having the desired effect, and informing stakeholders and the general public of changes in the condition of park resources that may be caused by stressors operating at regional or global scales. Data collected in a consistent way over long periods are fundamental to conservation and management because they provide the context for interpreting observed changes, and may provide the basis for initiating new management practices or changing existing practices. Despite this need, the track record for institutionalizing long-term programs that provide such information is poor. In this chapter, we have provided examples and "key lessons learned" from our experience in planning and designing a long-term ecological monitoring program for more than 270 parks in the US National Park Service. We emphasize three critical elements for a long-term monitoring program in a resource management agency: relevance, reliability, and commitment. These elements are essential to institutionalizing a monitoring program such that it becomes an integral component in the planning and operations of the agency. The quantitative recommendations presented in this volume are an essential underpinning of the scientific credibility of any monitoring program, but they are just one component of designing, implementing, and institutionalizing a long-term ecological monitoring program.

Institutionalizing an effective long-term monitoring program in the U.S. National Park Service

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