ABSTRACT
Effective population monitoring is a critical aspect of adaptive management, and should be designed to test specific hypotheses that are relevant to management and policy decisions (Noss 1990). Unfortunately, monitoring often involves common mistakes such as overlooking explicit hypothesis testing or not paying attention to proper design and analysis (Hinds 1984). A properly constructed and reviewed sampling design will ensure accurate results, and allow users to make inferences to larger areas. In addition to the issues of statistical power and effect size estimation discussed in the previous chapter, there are several factors that should be addressed as a protocol is being developed. Before data collection begins, one must identify the limitations that will be imposed on the sampling techniques by the inherent variability of the animals and habitats being measured.
