Develop a Sampling Plan

A sampling plan is critical for effectively implementing field work sampling. Well-planned field sampling is more likely to be cost-effective and productive.

In preparing a sampling plan, the following site information should be integrated with the survey's objectives:

• size of study area
• topography
• previous ecological sampling (e.g. number, type, and location)
• existing information (e.g. land units, geology, terrain, and soils)
• data to be collected within samples
• number of samples to be collected in each stratum (replication)
• accessibility across the study area
• future site accessibility (e.g. for sampling over time).

Clear objectives for all field surveys should be articulated in the sampling plan. Survey design often needs to consider sampling common and widespread ecosystem units, as well as those units that occur infrequently, such as monsoon vine thickets and riparian zones. The survey may include more intensive sampling in ecosystems that are considered more valuable or more sensitive than others.

The sampling plan will describe the data collection techniques to be used in the field survey. Many of these are described in following topics and hands-on experience will be gained in the field during your residential period.