Monitoring is often completely excluded from or developed as an afterthought to restoration design. Monitoring is critical for understanding the utility of restoration techniques and the assessment of short and long term goals. Monitoring should be formal, planned and long term (e.g. some species don't even establish until 32 months after seeding; [1]).
Resources
- Guide to monitoring ecological restoration projects
- A Tool for Assessing Ecosystem Recovery: The 5-Star Recovery System in Action
- Jordan River: Monitoring Ecological Change with Smartphones and Social Media - Utah Department of Environmental Quality
- Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative Vegetation Monitoring 2020
- Roadside Revegetation: An Integrated Approach to Establishing Native Plants and Pollinator Habitat | Ecosystem and Vegetation System Management | Environmental Review Toolkit | FHWA
References
[1] Abella SR, Gunn JL, Daniels ML, Springer JD, Nyoka SE. Using a diverse seed mix to establish native plants on a Sonoran Desert burn. Native Plants Journal. 2009 [accessed 2022 Dec 23];10(1):21–31. https://dist.lib.usu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.43309754&site=eds-live