Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) management plan: chapter 6

EVALUATION

Ideally, the evaluation of Harlequin Duck population recovery would be done on a population level, however their wide-spread breeding range and association with wintering populations in other countries restricts the quality and quantity of data that can be collected on a population level.  As a result, evaluation of management success will be through long-term monitoring programs that assess trends at wintering, moulting, and breeding sites. 

In order to properly assess the continued improvement of the Harlequin Duck population and the level of adherence to the Management Plan, evaluations must be conducted on a regular basis.  A management plan should never be considered a static document but rather a process that is modified with new information.  It is recommended that the Canadian Wildlife Service develop a report every three years on the status of the species in eastern Canada to be distributed among the jurisdictions to obtain their comments on the state of the eastern Harlequin Duck conservation efforts.  The report should contain the following:

1.     Monitoring survey effort and results.

2.     Changes in population size and trend from available data.

3.     Success in understanding, eliminating, reducing or mitigating threats to the population.

4.     Summary of public outreach and stewardship actions concerning the Harlequin Duck in eastern North America.

5.     Level of habitat protection for the Harlequin Duck population in eastern North America.

6.     Pertinent research results.

7.     Needed monitoring and research efforts.

8.     Updated information on the status of the Harlequin Duck population in Greenland, and a summary of ongoing cooperative efforts to protect and conserve Harlequin Ducks.

9.     Gap analysis and revision of directions.

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