Environmental Monitoring and Land Use Planning

Too often, monitoring is suggested as a mitigation for potential environmental impacts without consideration of how this information will support Indigenous communities in repairing the land or improving their stewardship abilities. As a result, a great deal of monitoring effort is wasted finding answers that may be academically interesting but does not have the power or specificity to allow Indigenous community members to make informed decisions.

Environmental monitoring needs to be linked to management and stewardship goals. This is best accomplished with a stewardship or land use plan that identifies culturally relevant land use standards and management goals.