Ecological Monitoring

MOOC

5 months

Free

Ecological monitoring is a key aspect of protected areas management. Completing the 4 units will set the foundation to understanding what ecological monitoring is, and how it works.

Ecological monitoring plays a pivotal role in protected areas management. These four course units serve as the foundational steps toward comprehending the principles and practices of ecological monitoring.

This crucial component of adaptive management in protected areas involves systematic, ongoing data collection to address specific questions. It may also involve comparing collected data against established standards, such as baseline conditions or desired states, and demands precise knowledge, established techniques, and specialized data analysis.

The completion of the four units establishes the foundational knowledge necessary for comprehending the principles of ecological monitoring (EM) and its function within the management of protected areas. EM plays a pivotal role in the practice of adaptive management within these areas, involving the systematic and ongoing collection of environmental data to address specific inquiries.

This approach can also be employed to compare data from the area of interest with predetermined benchmarks, such as baseline conditions (e.g., initial species population) or desired states (e.g., optimal vegetation conditions in the absence of external pressures). Ecological monitoring demands a high degree of precision, employs well-established techniques, and necessitates specialized data analysis.

Several sessions of the MOOC are organised each year.

UNIT 1 – ECOLOGICAL MONITORING AND ITS DESIGN

This unit is a general introduction to the MOOC, and it establishes the foundation to start the course well.

N°	Sequence	Description
	Recommended reading
1.0	MOOC introduction	General presentation of the course
1.1	Unit introduction	Detailed outline of unit 1
1.2	Why do we monitor?	The importance of monitoring a PA’s ecology
1.3	What is EM?	EM definition, complexity and diversity
1.4	What is EM for?	Possible uses of EM, examples and testimonies
1.5	Setting EM goals	Values, key ecological attributes, conservation goals, indicators
	QUIZ 1A
1.6	How to choose the monitoring method?	Collecting data according to the different KEAs
1.7	Sampling KEAs for EM	Sampling logic, total/partial, random, stratified
1.8	Effective monitoring at the best cost	How to choose according to costs and means available
1.9	Data analysis	Implementation, processing, decision-making
1.10	Summary	Unit 1 summary
	QUIZ 1B

	Exam 1 – Graded quiz on unit 1

UNIT 2 – STATISTICS

This unit specifically looks at EM techniques.

N°	Sequence	Description
	Recommended readings
2.1	Unit introduction	Unit intro – outline – goals
2.2	Statistics: basic notions	Basic notions: variables, populations, samples
2.2 bis	Summary and example	Summary and example of sequence 2.2
2.3	Numerical summaries	Frequency, exploratory analysis, median, variance
2.3 bis	Summary and example	Summary and example of sequence 2.3
2.4	Graphical summary	Pie charts, bar charts and box plots
2.4 bis	Summary and example	Summary and example of sequence 2.4
2.5	Population distribution models	Some population distribution models (normal, Poisson distribution, exponential), numerical summaries and models, choosing a model.
2.5 bis	Summary and example	Summary and example of sequence 2.5
2.6	Estimattion	Estimators, calibration, method of moments, Maximum Likelihood Estimator
2.6 bis	Summary and example	Summary and example of sequence 2.6
2.7	Confidence intervals	Estimate, confidence
2.7 bis	Summary and example	Summary and example of sequence 2.7
2.8	Hypothesis tests	Compare theories and data
2.8 bis	Summary and example	Summary and example of sequence 2.8
2.9	Jolly method	Jolly method

	Exam 2 – Graded quiz on units 1 and 2

UNIT 3 – TECHNIQUES

This module lays out EM practical techniques.

N°	Sequence	Description
	Recommended reading
3.1	Unit introduction	Unit introduction – outline – goals
3.2	Basics of ecology	Identifying attributes
3.3	Basics of ecology	Choosing the method and the sample
	QUIZ 3A
3.4	Monitoring abiotic factors	Important abiotic factors, measuring techniques, uses and benefits
3.5	Monitoring plants	Understanding and monitoring plant communities, the structure and the evolution of an ecosystem’s vegetation
	QUIZ 3B
3.6	Monitoring large mammals: directly	Direct observation methods, travelling counts, IKA, stationary counts, transects, presenting results, decision-making
3.7	Monitoring large mammals: indirectly	Indirect methods, monitoring through tourism, villagers’ feedback, monitoring tracks and droppings, camera-traps, calling stations
	QUIZ 3C
3.8	Case study: carnivores	Techniques, benefits, uses
3.9	Case study: primates	Techniques, benefits, uses
	QUIZ 3D
3.10	Case study: aerial count	Inflight inventory techniques, data processing, total or partial count, monitoring large species through satellite, drones and kites
3.11	Case study : mobile animals	Techniques, collars, bands, GPS, marking, Mark and Recapture
	QUIZ 3E

UNIT 4 – EXAMPLES OF EM

This unit illustrates the techniques presented in units 2 and 3 with a series of practical EM examples in different environments, on different species and at different scales.

N°	Sequence	Description
	Recommended reading
4.1	Unit introduction	Unit introduction – outline – goals
4.2	Levels of EM	Differents possibles levels, biomes, species, means
4.3	Example of EM on different PAs: NRT	Specificities and monitoring examples in several PAs
	QUIZ 4A
4.4	EM example of a terrestrial PA: Nazinga	Specificities and monitoring examples in a terrestrial PA
4.5	EM example in a marine PA: Aldabra	Specificities and monitoring examples in a marine PA
4.6	EM example in the forest: Taï	Specificities and monitoring examples in the forest
4.7	EM example in the savanna: Comoé	Specificities and monitoring examples in the savanna
	QUIZ 4B
4.8	EM example of populations: water-birds	Specificities and monitoring examples of water-bird populations
4.9	EM example elephants	Specificities and monitoring examples of elephants
4.10	20 golden rules	EM golden rules

	Final exam – Graded quiz based on the entire course