Following the arguments and considering the issues presented in this book will allow us to design an effective and flexible monitoring program to detect and evaluate impacts in flowing waters. This includes the negotiations of what effect size is important to detect and what elements can be traded off or even sacrificed (as discussed in chapters 12 and 13). So now we've implemented the monitoring design and presumably detected (or not) some impact with known confidence – but the job is not yet finished. Further negotiations are in order to continue or refine assessment. Truly effective management of impacts requires that some action follows the well-designed studies we have so far advocated in this book. This chapter discusses issues that are central to what needs to be done after the main monitoring task has been completed.

LINKS WITH MANAGEMENT DECISIONS AS POINTS OF NEGOTIATION

We have emphasized the role that input from monitoring data (in terms of results and their interpretation) should have in management decision-making if we are to be engaged in a task that makes any difference. There is an imperative for environmental assessments to become more sophisticated and responsive to societal needs. Monitoring can be reactive (used only once an impact is clearly observed), proactive (seeking to assess impacts before they manifest themselves; see Fairweather 1993; Fairweather & Lincoln Smith 1993) or progress through adaptive learning. The latter means not just trying to benefit from mistakes but also combining elements of learning from both the scientific and management sides.