| The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN), along with its partners is trying to better coordinate monitoring and research activities throughout the country, as Canada doesn’t currently have a national ecological monitoring system. We do not yet fully understand how environmental stressors such as global warming, acid rain, and invasive species are affecting our Canadian ecosystems. The main role of EMAN is to engage partners undertaking ecological monitoring projects. Through the collection of ecological data using standardized EMAN recommended protocols, monitoring can establish baselines representing the current status of ecosystem components. Repeat observations and analysis of ecological data can allow for the detection of changes over time, changes that are above the natural variation for these baselines. EMAN can link research and the identification of emerging issues to decision-making by providing a forum for dissemination of monitoring information. EMAN presents this information through the posting of trends and findings on the EMAN website, the development of collaborative reports addressing ecosystem level changes and through the presentation of monitoring work and findings at the annual EMAN National Science Meeting. EMAN is not based as a funding agency but we are a source of expertise, information, collaborative opportunities and coordination where our interests overlap with those of others involved in ecosystem monitoring or sustainability at any scale. EMAN provides a mechanism to help deliver or add value to partner programmes. Collaboration and communication with the Network is important for policy developers and decision-makers in relation to adaptive management policies and through the availability of information on emerging issues relating to ecosystem status and trends. | |
| Becoming a part of the Network involves an interest in engaging in a working relationship with EMAN CO and/or EMAN partners. Policy developers and decision-makers can do this through their support in furthering the goals of the network within their own agency or organization. These goals include the move towards the standardization of monitoring protocols (without compromising pre-existing long-term projects), the sharing of monitoring data and the communications of the results of monitoring projects. This information is then included in EMAN reports on trends and status. Ecosystem trend and status reporting can be integrated into adaptive management policies, used to further direct other research and inform decision-makers about emerging ecological issues. |