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Building the Ecological Monitoring and
Assessment Network: the Canadian
Experience1
Hague H. Vaughan 2
Abstract-The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network
(EMAN) was developed in response to a number' of needs and
pressures including the decline of traditional monitoring networks
in Canada, the regionalization of natural resource assessment and
management and the increasingly nationwide ifnot global nature of
current issues. EMAN is a national ecological monitoring network
which includes 93 sites across the country characterized by longterm multi-disciplinary environmental work that is conducted by a
multitude of agencies (142 partners and counting). In addition, less
formal networks are in place or under development based on
partnerships and the design of standardized protocols which generate scientifically valid data but which can be carried out by nonscientists. Examples include biodiversity monitoring plots, Frogwatch,
and phenology-based networks. Environment Canada is the coordinating partner for the network.
Resumen-La red de monitoreo y evaluaci6n ecol6gica (eman) se
desarroll6 en respuesta a varias necesidades y presiones incluyendo
la declinaci6n de redes de monitoreo tradicionales en canada, la
regionalizaci6n, evaluaci6n y manejo de los recursos naturales.
Eman es una red nacional de monitoreo ecol6gico de
aproximadamente 93 sitios a traves del pais caracterizada por
trabajo ambiental multi-disciplinario a largo plazo que es dirigida
por una multitud de agencias (142).
EMAN's focus is the detection and reporting of change in
Canadian ecosystems, including the description of the spatial and temporal patterns of observed change, in order to
most effectively provide both a context for regional or local
observations and the early identification of circumstances
where research, management or policy initiatives might be
needed. With its focus on the detection, distribution and
reporting of ecosystem changes, EMAN has the ability to
provide:
• a national perspective on changes occurring in Canadian ecosystems affected by the multitude of stresses on
the environment;
• an early warning system that identifies new ecosystem
changes as they emerge;
• consistent nationwide information related to the success
of, or need for, controls and other resource management
initiatives; and
Ipaper presented at the North American Science Symposium: Toward a
Unified Framework for Inventorying and Monitoring Forest Ecosystem
Resources, Guadalajara, Mexico, November 1-6,1998.
2Hague H. Vaughan is the Director of Environment Canada's Ecological
Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN), Coordinating Office, Canada
Center for Inland Waters, Burlington, Ontario Canada L7R 4A6. Tel: (905)
336-4410; Fax: (905) 336-4499; e-mail: hague.vaughan@Cciw.ca
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Ecological Monitoring
and
Assessment U.,.j..._.rfI·---~
Environment Canada, 1997
• sound recommendations for appropriate follow-up initiatives in research, focused studies or assessment.
As a direct result, or as a product of specific follow-up
investigations, information will be provided to Canadians so
they are better able to make decisions on the conservation
and sustainability of their ecosystems.
The past four years have been the ''building'' years for the
network-getting the princi pIes oflong-term ecological monitoring entrenched, and bringing partners on board to participate in the network. The next steps are to ensure that the
network is used, and is useful. In February 1998, the EMAN
Coordinating Office formed a 17 member focus group to
undertake a program audit and peer-review so as to evaluate
how far EMAN has come and where its future directions
should be.
The network successes identified are many, including:
• Developing Partnerships for a New Initiative
• Building a Large Network of Monitoring Sites
• Standardizing Methods for Monitoring Biodiversity
Change in Canada's Ecosystems
• Establishing Long-Term Biodiversity Monitoring Plots
• Sponsoring the Assessment of Scientific Data
• Hosting EMAN National Science Meeting
• Activating Biosphere Reserves
• Leveraging Resources
• Communicating through the EMAN Website
• Adopting and Promoting the Use of the National Ecological Framework
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
While the network accomplishments over the past four
years far outweighed the network shortcomings, the views of
the focus group pinpointed some network weaknesses which
included that:
•
•
•
•
the budget is too small for its scope of activities;
the EMAN mandate appears to be not focused;
the connection to policy is weak;
there is weak coordination and support within Environment Canada; and
• the network's regional coordination is weak;
Many of these concerns are being addressed through a
number of new initiatives and the refinement of existing
approaches including:
• Consulting with Environment Canada Regions and other
programs in order to establish and ensure relations,
roles and linkages
• Building an Indicators of Change Network based on
standardizing 20-25 parameters at existing sites augmented with specific components such as biodiversity
and indigenous knowledge.
• Building a network of cooperating natural resource
organization networks and information data bases
through the development of partnerships to address
areas of joint interest
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
• Building an broad Observation Network including amphibians, phenology, reptiles and birds
• Coordinating the inter-site or interagency Analysis and
Interpretation of Network Data
Others require an increased emphasis on marketing the
role and direction of EMAN and promoting cooperative
partnerships within Environment Canada.
Lessons that may well be applicable to the creation or
maintenance of similar networks elsewhere include:
1. Answer questions and focus on products: creation of
the perfect set of sites, the perfect set of parameters,
the perfect analyses, QAlQC, data management, etc.
are all laudable but not if they come at the cost of
communications with those you are trying to affect or
who are paying you for information;
2. Build a focus on the needs of decision-makers and
policy formulators;
3. All money is soft money: lasting partnerships are a
better guarantee of security;
4. Communicate to excess with partners, the public, and
particularly others in your own organization.
5. The EMAN operational method of "grease and glue"
intervention funding is one worth considering.
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