Monitoring Plant and Animal Populations: A Handbook for Field Biologists [Illustrated] [Paperback]

"Such a text could easily form the basis for undergraduate and graduate courses in institutions having programs which include wildlife, fisheries, ecology, or conservation biology. It would also be important reading for state and federal agency personnel and all those biologists involved in the ecological consulting field." Professor Gary Vinyard, University of Nevada at Reno

"One of the most intractable problems facing ecologists and conservationists conducting manipulative experiments on ecosystems is monitoring the outcome. Without such monitoring the experiments, of course, are worthless, so careful considerations of experimental design and recording techniques prior to the establishment of the manipulations are always worthwhile, and it is here that this practical manual seeks to exist." Bulletin of the British Ecological Society, 2002

User-friendly, practical guide, written in a highly readable format.

The authors provide an interdisciplinary scope to address the current, widespread interest in monitoring in many environmental fields, including pure and applied ecology, conservation biology, and wildlife management

Emphasizes the role of monitoring in adaptive management

Defines important terminology and contrasts monitoring with other data-collection activities

Covers the applicable principles of sampling and shows how to design a monitoring project

Provides a step-by-step overview of the monitoring process, illustrated by flow charts and references. The authors also offer guidelines for analyzing and interpreting monitoring data

Illustrates the foundation of management objectives and describes their components, types, and development

Describes common field techniques for measuring important attributes of animal and plant populations

Reviews different methods for recording monitoring data in the field, managing the data, and communicating data to policy makers