BIODIVERSITY MONITORING

CONCEPT

Biodiversity monitoring differs from research because it is the collection of repeated observations over time rather than the investigation into why something is occurring. Monitoring provides vital feedback between management actions and environmental and/or species responses and can lead to the development of research studies. Much of the research conducted by LWT has been developed from information and observations collected during our monitoring and many of our research projects run alongside our long-term biodiversity monitoring.

Biodiversity monitoring is an essential part of conservation. However, many protected areas do not have the financial or personnel capacity to run long-term intensive monitoring projects. For this reason, LWT implements monitoring activities at all of our field sites in partnership with the protected area’s managing entity. By partnering with park management, LWT provides cost-effective, sustainable, long-term monitoring for habitats and species of special concern. The overall goal of our biodiversity monitoring is to provide park management with ecologically sound data to inform management strategies. As such, data collected from our year-round monitoring projects are directly used in adaptive management of species and ecosystems. All monitoring activities are therefore assessed by both parties for their overall significance prior to implementation.