Wildlife Action Plan
- Introduction
- Final Plan
- Final Plan in Spanish
- Matrix Overview
- Wildlife Species Matrix
- Wildlife Monitoring Survey
Statewide Topics
- Natural Diversity
- Species at Risk
- Stressors
- Conservation Actions
- Monitoring
- Conservation Capabilities
Regional Diversity
Information Sources
Workshop Results
Other DFG Programs
- Environmental Review & Permitting
- Conservation Planning
- Resource Assessment
- Biogeographic Information & Observation System (BIOS)
Action Plan Partner
Wildlife Action Plan
1812 9th Street,
Sacramento, CA 95811
WAP - Monitoring
Natural communities, ecosystems, species population dynamics, and the effects of stressors on the environment are inherently complex. Wildlife and resource managers often are called upon to implement conservation strategies or actions based upon limited scientific information and with considerable uncertainties. Adaptive management is a key element of implementing effective conservation programs. Adaptive management combines data from monitoring species and natural systems with new information from management and targeted studies to continually assess the effectiveness, adjust, and improve conservation actions.
Some conservation actions recommended in this Wildlife Action Plan may be assessed adequately simply by monitoring a few environmental variables. At the other extreme, a regional multispecies conservation effort requires a major long-term comprehensive monitoring program. The steps and considerations to design a monitoring program in an adaptive management context are summarized below. This information is a guide to design a program to measure the success of the conservation actions of this wildlife plan and will be useful to consider whether developing a major regional conservation plan or a very limited conservation project.