HOME This Site NOAA • Estuary Restoration Act • NOAA's Role in the ERA • National Estuaries Restoration Inventory • Monitoring Protocols • ERA Council • Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy • Estuary Habitat Restoration Program: Project Funding • Official ERA Web Site • Restore America's Estuaries National Strategy Document • Principles of Estuary Habitat Restoration				ERA Information: Monitoring Protocols Photo Credit: NOAA, Department of Commerce The Estuary Restoration Act directs NOAA to develop standard monitoring protocols for estuary habitat restoration projects. These protocols outline basic guidelines for evaluating the success of restoration activities in meeting project goals. Because restoration project monitoring is often the responsibility of local project partners, the costs of monitoring and access to specialized equipment and technical expertise were considered. Since restoration science is still in development, restoration projects may not meet intended goals. Monitoring can provide information to explain why goals are not met, and data from these projects can help evaluate relative efficacy of different methods and improve restoration techniques and project designs for future efforts. Below are links to NOAA resources that provide specific information about monitoring plans for coastal restoration activities: NOAA’s Restoration Monitoring Planner - is a tool available to anyone interested in developing monitoring plans for fisheries habitat restoration projects. Presently, the tool can assist those who are implementing restoration projects in a few key habitats (e.g. salt marsh, oyster/shellfish, and riverine). In the future, the tool will be expanded and can be used for restoration projects in other coastal habitats. http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/rmp/PUBLICSITE/index.cfm Monitoring Requirements Under the Estuary Restoration Act (4pages, 112K) describes five critical elements that must be included in monitoring plans for projects supported by Estuary Restoration Act funds. Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats (Thayer et al.), a two-volume manual, provides technical assistance, outlines necessary steps, and provides useful tools for the development and implementation of sound scientific monitoring of coastal restoration efforts. Volume I (2003), A Framework for Monitoring Plans Under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000. Outlines the steps necessary to develop a monitoring plan for any coastal habitat restoration project, which include: An explanation of the stages of restoration and monitoring The presentation of a process of developing a monitoring plan through twelve steps An explanation for the basic elements that should be considered when writing a restoration monitoring plan, and Three matrices to help practitioners choose which habitat characteristics may be most appropriate to monitor for their project. Volume II (2005), Tools for Monitoring Coastal Habitats. Expands upon the information in Volume One and provides tools that aid the development and implementation of a plan. Information provided in Volume Two is designed more for practitioners who may not have extensive experience in coastal ecology. More experienced restoration practitioners however, may find the annotated bibliographies, literature review, and other tools provided useful as well. Tools provided include: Detailed treatment of the characteristics of each of the habitats and approaches to monitoring in that habitat A discussion of how to monitor the human dimensions of coastal restoration projects A review of how to select reference sites or conditions A representative index of restoration monitoring programs A list of costs associated with project monitoring, and A review of Federal legislation relevant to restoration monitoring. (top)
Revised: July 30, 2007 by the Restoration Webmaster National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration http://era.noaa.gov/htmls/era/era_monitoring.html