One of the most important jobs in any project is monitoring how successful it is, and what difference it has made.

At the most basic level, monitoring tells you whether restoration works have had the desired effects. If there are no before and after project records or measurements there is no indication of whether all the hard work has been worthwhile. In all cases (and especially for volunteer work forces), great satisfaction can be gained from the certain knowledge that habitat works have had a positive effect.

Similarly, measuring project success demonstrates what has been achieved with monies donated by funding bodies -   very important when seeking more funding.. Clear demonstrations of what is likely to be achieved using benefactors’ money are crucial in securing financial support for conservation projects.

Perhaps most importantly of all, monitoring the effects of habitat improvements helps to build knowledge of  “best practice” techniques – promoting  the wider use of good practices, and  curtailing the use of poor practice.

The following documents explain our proposed approaches to monitoring Trout in the Town (TINTT) projects:

TinTT monitoring (general)

TinTT monitoring (more detailed)