ABSTRACT
This chapter defines monitoring as it is understood in this book, on a broad and interdisciplinary level. The argument is that monitoring in the Anthropocene, in which natural systems are extensively human influenced, requires both a practical design of systems based on multiple data inputs and an understanding of social systems, their historical development, and their influences on natural systems. The chapter highlights the breadth of uses in relation to monitoring in this book, ranging from mandated monitoring to direct land use management applications at lower scales and from land-based to wetland and aquatic systems. The chapter also introduces the scope of the book, including, for instance, chapters on in situ, Earth system, new technologies, and citizen science approaches, as well as general introductions to social science methodologies such as microdata, surveys, and interviews. Examples are generally taken from European cases and to a relatively high extent focus on land-based vegetation systems but are intended to illustrate applications that are relevant to multiple subjects and areas.
