Type: report

Article abstract: How do we ensure that the San Diego Regional Preserve System is effectively managed across jurisdictional boundaries and ecologicalscales? Is it possible to monitor at the reserve level and integrate these efforts so they are meaningful for the preserve system and ecoregion?This paper addresses different approaches to monitoring, how monitoring protocols can address ecological variability at different spatial scales, and how the results of the monitoring could answer questions across time. It is essential to focus on collecting biologically meaningfuldata that can be utilized to inform management actions at various scales. The primary focus of monitoring efforts must be to informmanagement actions and secondarily to meet regulatory requirements. In some cases, both goals may be achieved with the same data. This prioritization will help ensure that available resources are allocated for actions that benefit the covered species and the ecosystems on whichthey depend rather than utilizing limited monitoring resources to collect data primarily to allow agencies and jurisdictions to check‐off regulatoryrequirement.