Conservation Monitoring in Freshwater Habitats: A Practical Guide and Case Studies [Hardcover]

As in the terrestrial environment, most data collection from freshwater habitats to date falls into the survey, surveillance or research categories. The critical difference between these exercises and a monitoring project is that a monitoring project will clearly identify when we need to make a management response. A Model for Conservation Management and Monitoring Monitoring (as defined by Hellawell) is essentially a tool of practical conservation management, and Fig. 1.1 shows a simple, but effective, model for nature conser- tion management and monitoring. The need for clear decision-making is implicit in this model. First we must decide what would represent a favourable state for the key habitat or species, and then we must decide when to intervene if the state is (or becomes) unfavourable. A third, often overlooked, but equally important, decision concerns when we would consider the habitat or species to have recovered; this is unlikely to be the same point that we became concerned about it. This decision not only has resource imp- cations, it can also have major implications for other habitats and species (prey species are an obvious example). All of these decisions are essential to the devel- ment of an efficient and effective monitoring project.Setting the scene.- Conservation Monitoring in Freshwater Habitats: An Introduction.- Options for Planning Management.- The Water Framework Directive and the Habitats and Birds Directives.- Biological Indicators for Freshwater Habitats.- Freshwater Mammals as Indicators of Habitat Condition.- Waterbirds as Bioindicators of Environmental Conditions.- Monitoring Fish Populations in River SACs.- Assessment of Aquatic Invertebrates.- Riverine Plants as Biological Indicators.- Phytoplankton (Toxic Algae) as Biological Indicators.- Monitoring Biological Invasions in Freshwater Habitats.- Rivers: Threats and Monitoring Issues.- Threats to River Habitats and Associated Plants and Animals.- The Development and Application of Ml#C