Final Major Amendment to the CVMSHCP – August 2016 8.0 MSHCP RESERVE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT & MONITORING PROGRAM This section describes a framework for the implementation of a Management Program to provide for the Conservation of species and natural communities and a Monitoring Program to assess the condition of species and natural communities in the MSHCP Reserve System. The framework Management Program will include ongoing management responsibilities and Adaptive Management. This framework is adaptive and subject to modification as system stressors change and as new information on how better to manage the MSHCP Reserve System to achieve the species and Habitat goals becomes available. The Monitoring Program will be implemented in phases starting with the collection of baseline data that will be used to evaluate conceptual monitoring strategies followed by implementation of long-term species and natural communities monitoring. The Monitoring Program will thereafter be adaptive to incorporate new protocols and techniques as appropriate. The goals in making future modifications to the Monitoring Program will be to improve efficiency and increase the reliability of the data. The Monitoring Program data will be used to both determine if the Plan is meeting its Conservation Objectives and identify the need for and the success of Adaptive Management of the Reserve Lands. This section also includes a program implementation schedule, an estimated annual workload summary, and a cost analysis. 8.1 Introduction and Purpose The general Conservation approach for the MSHCP Reserve System is to conserve Core Habitat Areas, Other Conserved Habitat, Essential Ecological Processes, and Biological Corridors and Linkages in a size and configuration that will provide for the Conservation of Covered Species and Natural Communities. This Conservation approach requires achieving specific Conservation Goals and Conservation Objectives for Conservation Areas (Section 4), Covered Species (Section 9), and natural communities (Section 10). The CVCC will track the extent to which the Plan is achieving compliance with Conservation Objectives (Section 4) as they relate to acreage goals. Evaluation of Generalized Conservation Objectives that apply to all Covered Species will be evaluated through the Monitoring Program. An example is: Conserve Core Habitat and associated Essential Ecological Processes for “Covered Species A” allowing evolutionary processes and natural population fluctuations to occur. Minimize fragmentation, human-caused disturbance, and edge effects to Core Habitat by conserving contiguous Habitat and effective Linkages between patches of Core Habitat (from Section 4.3). In this example, the Monitoring Program would be evaluating population fluctuations, functionality of linkages, impacts of human disturbance (including impacts from edge effects), and if Essential Ecological Processes are being maintained. 8-1 Final Major Amendment to the CVMSHCP – August 2016 The Monitoring Program will provide feedback on the success of achieving the Conservation Objectives by monitoring at multiple levels, including landscape, natural community, and species levels. The landscape level monitoring components are designed to detect large-scale changes and potential threats to the integrity of Essential Ecological Processes and Biological Corridors and Linkages. The natural community level monitoring components are designed to detect changes in key Habitat variables related to the Covered Species in Conservation Areas. The species level monitoring focuses on detecting changes in the distribution and abundance of the Covered Species. Each monitoring level is designed to be adaptive so that when better technologies, protocols, or metrics are identified the process allows and encourages their adoption. The levels are also designed to be contextually interactive, so that each level can be meaningfully compared with the others in both space and time. The Monitoring and Management Programs are designed to: (1) determine if the Plan is achieving its Conservation Goals for the Covered Species and conserved natural communities; (2) specify the primary components of MSHCP Reserve System management; and (3) determine how Adaptive Management strategies will be used and how effective they are to address changes in Habitat condition, natural communities, and/or species status. These changes may be the result of anthropogenic and/or natural forces. The Management and Monitoring Programs focus on identifying changes in identified natural communities and Covered Species condition (numbers, distribution, etc.) and what factors may be causing the identified changes. The data gathered will help identify the thresholds that would trigger when Adaptive Management actions are appropriate and test their efficacy. 8.1.1 Goals and Objectives: Monitoring Program The Monitoring Program will provide scientifically reliable data on: (1) the status of Covered Species; (2) spatial and temporal dynamics (amplitude and magnitude) of ecosystem components for the Covered plant and animal Species and natural communities; (3) the threats to these species and natural communities; and (4) the results of research on the management of Covered Species. The Monitoring Program will: 1. Establish baseline information on the status of Covered Species and natural communities. Review of the data, literature, historical records, and other data sources may be used to develop hypotheses and models about factors affecting distribution and population size. Use a tiered approach incorporating monitoring questions at different levels, including individual species (populations and metapopulations), natural communities (including Habitat quality for Covered Species), and landscapes (including multiple natural communities) as models indicate there is a biological relationship. Describe the spatial and temporal variation (amplitude and magnitude) in populations of Covered Species. Identify likely threats to each species or natural community. Threats may be identified according to species assemblages and/or based on Habitat affinities (e.g. aeolian sand Habitat assemblage). Gather data on various measurable environmental factors identified in the conceptual models as having a measurable effect on Covered Species. 8-2 Final Major Amendment to the CVMSHCP – August 2016 Develop and refine models describing species distributions relative to Habitat quality and other parameters with data. Model refinement may include analysis of causal factors related to temporal and spatial annual population fluctuations and the amplitude of those fluctuations. Evaluate the extent to which integration of individual species/population and landscape/Habitat quality monitoring can occur. Develop monitoring protocols to stay current with accepted methodology as technologies and analytic tools improve. The Plan includes an analysis of monitoring data and a process for changing protocols to address changing needs. Identify, develop, and evaluate the extent to which, management practices and policies are sustaining the plant and animal species and natural communities covered under the Plan. This includes the collection and analysis of scientifically reliable data to enable Conservation Area managers to identify threats and to assess the effectiveness of management actions. Establish thresholds for changing or modifying management and identify appropriate responses or management practices for statistically and biologically significant changes in populations, communities, and ecological processes. Identify, as part of ongoing monitoring efforts, any diseases that may be adversely affecting Covered Species. This information will be shared with the Wildlife Agencies to assist the Wildlife Agencies in developing appropriate responses to disease issues and for identifying appropriate Adaptive Management responses. 2. To ensure all data are collected and stored in a manner that provides open access, authorized release, and communication and transfer to members of the public, local jurisdictions, and state and federal agencies. Transfer of information and data is necessary for policy making, communicating, and implementing all aspects of the Monitoring and Management Programs. Utilize a system for the input, management, storage, accessibility, release, and transfer or communication of monitoring data. Identify who is responsible for data management tasks, including storage, analysis, and transfer. Identify the process for access to and communication of data. The detailed monitoring protocols will be developed during the first two years of implementation and will be modified based on the baseline data collected during the first baseline phase of monitoring and thereafter as appropriate. Specific descriptions of the potential Monitoring Program for each natural community assemblage and the integration of monitoring and management are presented in Section 8.4. 8.1.2 Goals and Objectives: Management Program The Management Program will incorporate Adaptive Management, which includes an integrated multidisciplinary approach to addressing management practices, evaluating 8-3 Final Major Amendment to the CVMSHCP – August 2016 management actions, and assessing threats using appropriate experimental approaches at species, community, and landscape levels. The Management Program will: Develop a reserve management plan within 3 years of permit issuance and evaluate existing management activities. This plan will delineate cost estimates, staffing needs,