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Introduction
Introduction
Monitoring wildlife, pollution levels, water quality, and other aspects of an environment can give us vital data to help curb or even stop disasters before they fully unfold. Monitoring helps conservationists, scientists, and other parties to understand if there is a problem, if steps to handle these problems are actually working, or if other solutions need to be included in protecting our environment from the many threats currently facing our planet.
This Page
This Page
On this page we discuss various types of monitoring, their benefits, and how to engage in monitoring yourself.
Monitoring Methods
Monitoring Methods
Certain monitoring practices such as water and soil sample testing is discussed in the Best Management Practices guides listed on our BMP page. The BMP resources can help you assess which types of monitoring may make sense for the type of project or ecosystem you are working with.
The following options for monitoring are listed alphabetically.
Acoustic Monitoring
Acoustic Monitoring
"Ecologists and conservation researchers have a long history of using sound to study wildlife, from identifying birdsong by ear in the field, to surveying bats with handheld detectors, to using state-of-the-art remote sound recorders to monitor the sounds of animals and ecosystems. Many animals produce sound for communication and navigation, from birds and bats to marine mammals, fish, amphibians and many invertebrates. By doing this, they broadcast information about themselves into their environment. For researchers, this can offer rich data about where species are, how big their populations are, and what they’re doing. This makes remote sound recorders – often called ‘acoustic sensors’ – potentially a useful, cost-effective way for ecologists to survey wildlife populations, animal behaviour and ecological communities." - WWF: Acoustic Monitoring
Camera Traps
Camera Traps
Camera traps can be a great way to help anyone, from kids to scientists and policy makers to learn about nocturnal life, urban wildlife, and generally what kinds of animals live in their community. People will start to see the animals as part of the community, and may enjoy projects that help animals survive such as creating shelter, water sources, food sources. To take things a step further, you may want to use these as an opportunity to engage in citizen science. Some organizations have camera traps and need people to sift through the footage to find endangered animals, or you may be able to report the species caught on your own traps to support conservationists and animal-friendly policies.
LIDAR
LIDAR
"Light detection and ranging, alternatively referred to as airborne or terrestrial laser scanning, is a remote sensing technique that produces a 3D point cloud of the structure of the terrain and the vegetation above it, and 3D structure of vegetation is known to be a primary determinant of habitat quality for many species.
The capabilities of lidar system to describe the 3D structure of forests were demonstrated almost 20 years ago, and as its use in forestry applications grew its value in ecology became increasingly apparent. Eventually, the first papers linking lidar based descriptions of vegetation structure to study wildlife habitats were published, and since then the amount of such papers has increased rapidly. Although the value of lidar to wildlife ecologists is apparent, the highly technical aspect of its use remains a barrier for many. These guidelines seek to alleviate that barrier and provide a gentle introduction to the use of lidar." - WWF: LIDAR
Satellite Monitoring
Satellite Monitoring
Satellites can be fitted with cameras, LIDAR, and other types of equipment, so they can be used for a range of monitoring methods, and help with planet-wide monitoring, as well as being particularly useful for accessing distant parts of Earth that may be expensive for researchers to reach in person, or that may be contaminated by roads or other methods of direct access.
Roads for example can change habitats and make certain prey animals too easy to find by certain carnivores and can act as vectors for invasive species. Boats or ships used for monitoring ocean habitats harm delicate species such as coral with their motor vibrations. Satellites can help avoid these issues.
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Monitoring
In addition to monitoring wildlife directly, satellites can be very helpful in monitoring the environments where we live and work, or where we are trying to conserve or rewild.
Wildlife & Habitats
Wildlife & Habitats
3:38 minute video "When beavers build dams, the changes they make to their habitat can improve everything from biodiversity to drought resilience. Researchers at Boise State University and Utah State University, in collaboration with NASA’s Applied Sciences Ecological Conservation program area, are adding remote sensing data to a suite of tools to measure what happens when beaver are reintroduced to an area.
For people managing water resources and conservation efforts, predicting which streams can support beavers and monitoring how water and vegetation change once they return is critical. Using satellite data makes it possible to monitor large areas and track changes over time."
Programs & Apps
Programs & Apps
NASA: Applied Sciences Program "helps people across the world use NASA data to solve big problems right here on Earth. We provide support and funding to help institutions and individuals make better decisions about our environment, food, water, health and safety.
All components of the Applied Sciences Program are now housed within Earth Action, a new element of NASA’s Earth Science Division. The appliedsciences.nasa.gov website and pages within contain both new content about Earth Action and historic references to the Applied Sciences Program. You can find out more about how Earth Action fits within NASA’s Earth Science Division, as well as information about other parts of the Division (including Flight, Earth Science Data Systems, Research and Analysis, and the Earth Science Technology Office) at the Earth Science website."
NASA’s Biological Diversity & Ecological Conservation Programs "support new uses of remote sensing data to understand bird populations. They include ground-based surveillance of weather and how it affects birds, tracking flocks of the birds themselves, and studying how nighttime light affects bird behavior."
Organizations
Organizations
NASA: Applied Sciences "We work closely with the Biological Diversity Program, another part of NASA’s Earth Science Division, to fund competitive research at academic institutions, non-governmental organizations and in the private sector. The Biological Diversity program supports basic research that advances the understanding of how and why biological diversity is changing."
North America
North America
eMammal "is a system for collecting, storing, and sharing camera trap data. The system is designed not only for scientists, but also for anyone who wants to join in the fun and discovery of camera trapping through citizen science. Professional and volunteer camera trappers use our software to look at pictures, identify animals, and upload them to the Smithsonian Data Repository for review and storage. These data are useful for addressing important scientific and conservation questions, and the pictures provide a unique view into the hidden world of wildlife."
Education & Training Opportunities
Education & Training Opportunities
NASA's Capacity Building Program "provides individuals and institutions with workforce development, training activities, and collaborative projects to strengthen understanding of Earth observations and expand their use around the world. Through our unique program elements, we work with everyone at every level — from first-time users to long-time professional users of Earth observation data. The program is composed of unique ways to connect with unique users, and includes ARSET, DEVELOP, SERVIR, and the Indigenous Peoples Initiative."
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