News Release 11/07/06

New Conservation Partnership Introduces a High-Tech Approach to Wildlife Monitoring

Washington, D.C. —Today, the Natural Resource Monitoring Partnership—a new collaborative effort by 30 conservation organizations to collectively improve wildlife monitoring efforts—launched a new online system, using a searchable database to aid wildlife conservation efforts. These tools will save time and money, enhance state planning efforts and provide new opportunities for collaboration.

Monitoring is essential to making effective management decisions. The “Monitoring Locator” and “Protocol Library” were built to allow easy access to monitoring protocols throughout the U.S. and Canada and make it easy to find out what types of conservation monitoring is happening in a specific region or for a particular species.

Monitoring Protocol Library - An internet-accessible, searchable database that provides information on monitoring protocols and assessment methodologies organized for better reference and use. This is not a database of monitoring data or results, but rather a database of protocols. Designed to function as a library or catalog, it will be further developed and maintained by users, under the management of an archivist/librarian.

Monitoring Locator - An internet-based system that allows users to identify where and what kind of natural resource monitoring is being conducted within a particular area (e.g., state, county, province, or other selected geographic area). This system will continue to develop throughout coming months providing complete access to information about ongoing monitoring efforts according to the scales, target areas, and objectives specified by the user.

The Natural Resource Monitoring Partnership is a new collaborative effort by the natural resource management community to improve wildlife monitoring efforts for more effective evaluation and decision-making. Current participants include state, territory, provincial and federal natural resource management agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and academic institutions—including the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

For more information, view these tools and a complete list of participating organizations, please visit: http://nrmp.nbii.gov