Ecological Restoration Project Monitoring

This guidance is intended to assist managers of ecological restoration projects with developing and implementing effective quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) strategies. If designed and implemented properly, such QA/QC approaches will improve the quality of data collected, increase the certainty of project decision making, and ultimately save time and money. Although many resources are available to assist project managers with quality systems, this guidance focuses specifically on applying QA/QC concepts to monitoring the effectiveness of ecological restoration projects, with the recognition that these projects have unique QA/QC challenges. Anticipated additional users of this guidance include ecological restoration specialists and stakeholders representing federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civic and local groups, and the academic community. Guidance is provided on QA/QC considerations throughout project planning and preparation, as well as data collection, review and evaluation. Details, instructions, resources and examples are provided within each of the individual chapters. Because every restoration project is unique and requirements vary widely among organizations, the information is provided in a guidance document rather than an instruction manual. Notably, we have included information about the philosophy behind the recommended QA/QC strategies so that users can adapt the recommendations to the particular needs of their project and funding organization.