Our No.1 Tip
{ Tip No. 1 }
Baseline data collection and ongoing monitoring of resource and social conditions is essential for effective and efficient park management.
According to the Interagency Visitor Use Management Council (IVUMC), monitoring is, “the process of routinely and systematically gathering information or making observations to assess the status of specific resource conditions and visitor experiences.”
Land managers and their key partners greatly benefit from obtaining baseline data on current resource and social conditions in parks and protected areas but monitoring is often lacking or non-existent. Abundant methodologies, from simple to complex, exist for gathering baseline data.
Such data is exceptionally useful for examining change in conditions and tracking trends over time, and can provide metrics for guiding direct and indirect management efforts. Monitoring affords land managers the opportunity to impartially and effectively assess whether or not preferred resource and social conditions are being attained and sustained.
For more information, see the IVUMC 2019 Guidebook on Evaluating Effectiveness of Visitor Use Management.