This section of the plan is prescriptive, in which the aims of management are interpreted
in a
practical manner bearing in mind the locality, environmental and human factors. The formulation of
the management strategy requires experience to be drawn from many disciplines, since there are
not only the biological aspects of the reserve to consider but also the sociological and economic
factors.
The following topic outline is practical centrepiece of management. It is based on
the logic and
operation of the Conservation Management System, developed and promoted by the UK
Conservation Management Consortium.
It is a statement of operational planning to aid the production of a project based
management
system with the minimum words and maximum operational structure.
Planning as a prescriptive process consists of the following five operations;
- describing the objective;
- devising projects to achieve the
objective;
- scheduling the work for each project;
- recording the outputs and outcomes
of the work;
- operating a system of reporting on
the outcomes on a ‘need to know’ basis.
One other aspect of this section of the plan is of importance. Wildlife conservation
is a long-term
form of land-use. Although the management plan is written for only a limited period of time (often
five years, less often 10 years), the implications of management practice will not always be felt
within the period of time covered by the plan. For example, an operation such as scrub clearance
may result in a changed ecosystem for half a century. Thus, during the time taken for the effects of
a management decision to follow through the various was rejected. After taking a decision it is
invaluable to study its implementation by periodic recording. For example, two or three permanent
quadrats could be unobtrusively marked by corner posts, and a system of annual recording of the
vegetation clearly specified in the management plan. The amount of work required for this is
minimal, but the effect of the management prescription can be assessed provided that some form
of control recording is also specified. stages of an ecological succession the men responsible for
making those decisions may have nothing further to do with the management of the reserve. It is
therefore essential that there is good documentation. The minimum that is required is a statement
of the reasons why a management decision was taken. Why, for example, were sessile oaks to be
planted instead of any other species? It is, however, better to document both sides of a decision,
stating why the opposite view
