Effective ecosystem monitoring requires a multi‐scaled approach

作者：Ben D. Sparrow, Will Edwards, Samantha Munroe, Glenda M. Wardle, Greg R. Guerin, Jean‐François Bastin, Beryl Morris, Rebekah Christensen, Stuart Phinn, Andrew John Lowe · 发表于：Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1111/brv.12636 · 被引用次数：132 · 研究领域：Land Use and Ecosystem Services、Species Distribution and Climate Change、Remote Sensing in Agriculture

Ecosystem monitoring is fundamental to our understanding of how ecosystem change is impacting our natural resources and is vital for developing evidence-based policy and management. However, the different types of ecosystem monitoring, along with their recommended applications, are often poorly understood and contentious. Varying definitions and strict adherence to a specific monitoring type can inhibit effective ecosystem monitoring, leading to poor program development, implementation and outcomes. In an effort to develop a more consistent and clear understanding of ecosystem monitoring programs, we here review the main types of monitoring and recommend the widespread adoption of three classifications of monitoring, namely, targeted, surveillance and landscape monitoring. Landscape monitoring is conducted over large areas, provides spatial data, and enables questions relating to where and when ecosystem change is occurring to be addressed. Surveillance monitoring uses standardised field methods to inform on what is changing in our environments and the direction and magnitude of that change, whilst targeted monitoring is designed around testable hypotheses over defined areas and is the best approach for determining the causes of ecosystem change. The classification system is flexible and can incorporate different interests, objectives, targets and characteristics as well as different spatial scales and temporal frequencies, while also providing valuable structure and consiste...