The purpose of this addendum is to provide a systematic framework and a suggested process to integrate social with ecological monitoring. We hope that by taking this approach to integrate monitoring, more holistic information will be generated to inform coastal ecosystem management. This should in turn lead to plans and strategies that are developed to achieve desired biophysical and social outcomes for an Ecosystem based approach to natural resource management. This approach is intended to help strike the balance between ecological health with human well-being of coastal communities. We also hope that integrated monitoring will allow for a better understanding of the complex two-way relationships between people and coastal and marine resources and emphasize how important such an understanding is for policy decisions in coastal governance and sustainable development.

Integrated monitoring is a relatively new phenomenon under development but steadily gaining momentum globally. One of the major strategic objectives for the Global SocMon initiative (www.socmon.org) is to ensure that coastal ecosystem resource management decisions are informed through integrated social and biophysical monitoring. Effective coastal resource management is only possible if biophysical and social science disciplines work together at the inception of any monitoring program. The Caribbean and Pacific Islands SocMon have begun exploring the integration of SocMon/SEM-Pasifika with ecological monitoring and its application to decision-making. This work is only in its initial phase but is key to informing and solving management and policy needs particularly at the site and local levels.

The priority audience for this guide to integrated monitoring are practitioners of natural resource management and conservation. They may have different disciplinary training, including natural and social sciences, and are involved in coastal monitoring, management and sustainable development. We also target those who are interested in social-ecological systems and would like to apply an ecosystem approach to monitoring. The information in this chapter could also be applied in other sectors.