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  • Executive summary
  • Front Material
    • Contents
    • Index of figures
    • Index of tables
    • Acronyms and abbreviations
    • Terms and definitions
  • Getting started
  • Introduction
    • The urgency of targeted biodiversity conservation
    • Simplicity, complexity theory, and biodiversity
    • Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and local communities by design
    • Biodiversity methodology benefits
  • Overall description
    • Objectives
    • Scope
    • Limitations
  • Project description
    • Principles
      • Principles of working with IP
    • Eligibility criteria
      • Land ownership and law
    • Additionality
    • Project boundaries
      • Spatial limits of the BCP
      • Temporal limits of the BCP
      • Grouped projects
    • Implementation plan
      • Measurement approaches
      • Indicator species observations
      • Risks and uncertainty
    • Effective participation
      • Community involvement
      • Capacity for action
      • Financial transparency
      • Safeguards checklist
  • Calculation
    • Unit calculations
    • Area calculations
    • Time calculations
    • Integrity calculations
    • Value calculations
  • Baseline assessment
    • Baseline ecosystem categorization
    • Analysis of agents and drivers of biodiversity loss
    • Baseline biodiversity (optional)
    • Baseline risk of biodiversity loss
    • Indicator species selection
    • Indicator species integrity score
  • SDG contributions
  • Monitoring plan
    • Monitoring report
    • Additional monitoring requirements
  • Authors
  • References
  • Appendices
    • Appendix A: Biodiversity methodologies comparison table
    • Appendix B: Sample legal proof of land control
    • Appendix C: Sample baseline ecosystem categorization
    • Appendix D: Species categorization of richness
    • Appendix E: Sample selection of indicator species
    • Appendix F: Sample indicator-species observations
    • Appendix G: Sample open-source code and calculation
    • Appendix H: Indigenous authors
    • Appendix I: Letters of support
      • Fernando Ayerbe, Ornithology
      • Ned Hording, Biodiversity
      • Olber Llanos, Zoologist
      • Mike McColm, Ethnology
      • Peter Thomas, Anthropologist
      • Jesús Argente, Marine biology
      • Sara Andreotti, Marine Biologist
      • Carolina Romero, Lawyer.
      • Daniel Urbano, Herpetologist
      • Ramesh Boonratana PhD, Primatologist
      • Theodore Schmitt, Conservationists
      • Anja Hutschenreiter, Ecologist and Tropical Conservationist
      • Miguel Chindoy, Indigenous leader
    • Appendix J: Sample uses of biodiversity unit
    • Appendix K: How to do FPIC
    • Appendix L: Independent Expert Panel Checklist
    • Appendix M: How to calculate a biodiversity credit by hand
    • Appendix N: How to calculate home ranges
    • Appendix O: How to calculate integrity scores
  • Document history
  • Disclaimer
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Monitoring plan

How to maintain a consistent metric for the integrity of an intact ecosystem

The ISBM is unique in that project data for crediting is, in and of itself, proof of monitoring, reporting, and verification. In this context, annual crediting and monitoring are the same activity.

It should be noted that the unpredictability of animal tracking frequently leads to lapses in data collection. Because this is a results-only methodology, IP and LC groups can work as frequently or infrequently as they wish to. Although we caution that projects that begin with a large amount of observations, then taper off might be viewed with suspicion by an IEP.

It is recommended that projects plan a simple, but sustainable monitoring plan that can be consistently conducted throughout the year, with a budget that accounts for equipment failures. It is better to have consistent sightings in a small area, than lots of sightings that taper off throughout the year.

BCPs should collect data from as many qualifying indicator species as possible. To standardize and scale operations they must select a minimum of 3 species from 2 different kingdoms for ongoing monitoring.

We strongly suggest the use of pilot data in designing a monitoring plan as rapid iteration in the initial phases of a project are both desirable and encouraged. When selecting indicator species for ongoing monitoring please consider the following:

  • Clear link to biodiversity objectives: Choose indicator species that have clear links to stated BCP activities. Ideally, the relationship between indicators and project objectives should be demonstrated by documentation of scientific literature.

  • Multiple indicator species: Natural systems are extremely complex, and even variables that are carefully chosen to reflect conservation may sometimes fluctuate for reasons unrelated to the project. While technically even one indicator species is enough to implement the methodology, monitoring only a few species may increase the risk of failing to document actual biodiversity. Although there is no single ideal number of indicator species to be monitored, each project should manage a balance between choosing too few indicator species and too many.

  • Monitoring: This methodology encourages BCPs to select some indicator species that are not too expensive to monitor, that can be easily monitored by members of the IP and LCs, and that are not dependent on outside experts or equipment. But the inclusion of rare species that are difficult to find provides a more comprehensive view of the ecosystem and should be considered.

Table 6. Example of simple monitoring plan

Timeframe
Indicator species
Data collection method
Monitoring frequency

Year 1-5

5

Cell phones

Two months

Airtable

10k

Year 6-10

20

Camera trap + cell phones

Two months

Earth ranger database

20k

Year 11-15

30

Camera trap, cell phones, audio recording

Two months

Private database connected to Earth ranger

50k

Year 15-30

50

Camera trap, cell phones, audio recording, and selectively tagged animals

Continous

Private database connected to Earth ranger

16k

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Last updated 1 year ago

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