Planning, implementing, and monitoring multiple-species habitat conservation plans

Planning, implementing, and monitoring multiple-species habitat conservation plans

Janet Franklin, Helen M. Regan, Lauren A. Hierl, Douglas H. Deutschman, Brenda S. Johnson and Clark S. Winchell

First published online February 25, 2011; doi:10.3732/ajb.1000292
American Journal of Botany 98: 559-571 (2011)

Here is a good paper on planning, implementing, and monitoring multiple-species habitat conservation plans.

Systematic conservation planning is sine qua non in conservation biology both in academic circles and on-the-ground conservation initiatives. Nature reserves comprise geographical areas of the land or sea, managed for conservation, where protection of designated species or other ecosystem holds sway. Certain human activities are limited or prohibited.

The authors say once a nature reserve or conservation plan has been designed and established, the work is just beginning. Ongoing monitoring is required of institutional entities responsible for managing reserves, because monitoring is critical for determining whether conservation plans are meeting their goals. Sadly monitoring programs to assess the efficacy of conservation plans to meet their stated objectives are often lacking. Often monitoring activities occur in an ad hoc and piecemeal fashion.

This paper reviews major themes in biodiversity conservation planning and then focuses on monitoring. Recent developments in, and recommendations for, monitoring design for conservation plans are explicitly discussed.