The Endangered Species Act is considered one of the strongest acts in the world for protecting wildlife, but its effectiveness depends on proper implementation. Despite the importance of ensuring proper implementation, the agencies that implement the Act have no monitoring policy in place. The lack of a monitoring policy has led to few systems in place to monitor and report on compliance with the law, the effectiveness of conservation actions, or species populations or the status of their threats. To help address this gap, we drafted a monitoring policy that covers (1) biological monitoring; (2) threats monitoring; (3) compliance monitoring; and (4) effectiveness monitoring. The need for increased transparency within and outside the Services; accommodating emerging technologies; and addressing the need for detailed qualitative and quantitative data are accommodated in this proposal. We hope this provides a starting point for a monitoring policy that can help ensure efficient and effective implementation of the ESA and lead to better conservation outcomes for imperiled species. Sign up here for updates on this project.
As the previous Conservation Science and Policy Analyst in the Center for Conservation Innovation at Defenders, Meg assisted with the analysis of scientific research and policy implementation to find new and creative solutions for wildlife conservation.