Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland, and Savanna Ecosystems

This book describes the first integrated soil and vegetation monitoring system for rangeland ecosystems and is also the only monitoring guide to address the increasingly popular concept of "rangeland health." Rather than focusing on any particular land management objective—such as livestock production, watershed protection, or biodiversity conservation—the manual describes how to monitor basic ecosystem attributes on which all land uses depend: soil and site stability, watershed function, and biotic integrity. The manual is divided into two volumes to facilitate its use by individuals with little or no background in science or land management. Volume I, "Quick Start," contains all of the information needed to begin monitoring. Volume II outlines monitoring program development, contains supplementary methods, and provides guidelines for data entry. A Special Topics section in Volume II describes how to adapt the protocols to address more specific land management objectives: riparian environments, livestock production, wildlife habitats, off-road vehicle and other recreation uses, fire, invasive species, state and transition models, and remote sensing. The manual’s value-neutral approach has facilitated adoption by a wide range of individuals and organizations, and the protocols described are already being applied by ranchers, environmental organizations, land management agencies, and the National Park Service. Nearly everything that we value about rangelands depends upon the three attributes on which these methods focus; monitoring them is like monitoring the foundation of our rangeland ecosystems. This book provides step-by-step instructions for putting these important methods into practice.