Once a Habitat Conservation Plan is implemented, managers need information on how the conservation elements of the plan are performing to achieve the stated goals of the plan. Monitoring data are needed to ensure proper compliance with an HCP and to determine whether biological goals and objectives are being met. Generally monitoring is conducted for three basic purposes:

• compliance monitoring (to validate compliance with a certain pre-determined condition such as maintaining a minimum number of animals in a population)
• effectiveness monitoring (to validate accomplishment of a site-specific goal such as restoration of a given wetland)
• status and trends monitoring (to detect changes and determine when background conditions are above or below some threshold such as water temperature)

• CALFED Comprehensive monitoring assessment and research program
• Desert Tortoise Ecology Studies for Habitat Conservation Planning in Clark County, Nevada
• Development of a comprehensive ecological monitoring strategy in support of the coastal sage scrub NCCP program in southern California and analysis of the existing monitoring efforts
• Technical Support for the Washington County, Utah, Habitat Conservation Plan