Continuous adaptive monitoring of status and trends in ecosystem conditions

Abstract

Adaptive management uses an experimental approach in the stewardship of our natural resources. This paper advocates the complementary concept of "adaptive monitoring" to observe and evaluate the outcomes of these experiments. Adaptive management acknowledges that decisions must be made in spite of imperfect understanding of their consequences; likewise, adaptive monitoring is designed to accommodate the unknown objectives and technologies of the future. Adaptive monitoring must be extremely flexible to accommodate constant change in natural resources and management paradigms, in addition to changes in societal priorities. Like any monitoring endeavor, it must be credible, timely, efficient, relevant to management objectives, produce intelligent assessments and evaluations, and support infonned decision-making. Adaptive monitoring must consider multiple management objectives, multiple spatial and temporal scales, multiple ecosystems and environmental features, multiple social dimensions and economic conditions, multiple institutions and publics, and integration of multiple technologies. This paper envisions an adaptive monitoring technology that uses remotely sensed data and geographic information systems, multiple frames to extensively monitor different systems with probability samples, a few intensively studied experimental sites, and information on social and economic systems. These components are integrated through models, statistics, information management, and interdiscipinlary analyses. Application of adaptive management principals is in its infancy, and the concept of adaptive monitoring is even less well developed. However, the Annual Forest Inventory System is presented as a preliminary example of an emerging adaptive monitoring system. This system represents an evolution of the existing Forest Inventory and Analysis system to produce more timely information, quickly respond to new issues and concerns, and incorporate more efficient technologies in remote sensing, modeling, and statistics.

Citation

Czaplewski, R. L. 1996. Continuous adaptive monitoring of status and trends in ecosystem conditions. In: Sustaining Forests, Sustaining People: Proceedings of the 1995 Society of American Foresters Convention; 1995 October 28-November 1; Portland, ME. SAF-96-01. Bethesda, MD: Society of American Foresters. p. 80-85.