Why urban habitats photo-monitoring?

Habitat or piece of environment that allow any creature to support their existence is a central point of any ecological projects or conservation activity, even if a project has not direct connection with habitat's conditions. All resent species are result of population's historical adaptation to any specific conditions of habitats. All biological species have their own way to utilise their environment and any damages of habitats conditions may critically affect populations and species.

Therefore different monitoring system can be use for habitats conditions testing and control. Most of them require a special knowledge and experience - this limit possibility to utilize the methods in voluntary organisations or by volunteers. Nevertheless there are some simple, but useful methods that can be use by charities in their projects. One of them - visual registration using digital photography approaches. Digital photo-monitoring allow recording (1) very opportunely, (2) with high quality, (3) with any level of repeatedly, (4) chipper then traditional method, (5) with indefinitely period of storing, (6) with possibility to involve thousand of correspondents.

Why monitor? Here are some common purposes:

1. To describe or document current (normal) conditions (baseline monitoring).

2. To describe or document abnormal or catastrophic events.

3. To detect and document change (trend monitoring).

4. To confirm agency assessments.

5. To investigate perceived problems.

6. To document the application or implementation of management practices (implementation monitoring).

7. To document the effectiveness of management practices (effectiveness monitoring).

8. To document habitats conditions for future generations.

9. For ecological education purposes.

10. For general public, environmental groups and organisations, local governments and mass communication media attention.