Not all environmental monitoring is conducted to measure hazardous materials. In business, accounting methods are being developed to measure a firm's overall environmental ranking. One method being deployed and still under development is the balanced score card which now includes an environmental component. So, as your question intimates, it depends upon what you are looking at, the specific definitions, and what outcomes you are trying to achieve.

Environmental monitoring does not only relies on measuring harmful substances in the environment but it also involves determining path by which this substances are introduced into the environment. Monitoring gives ample information on rate of anthropogenic introduction and chemical speciation at a particular time of monitoring.

environmental monitoring can also be looking at compliance monitoring, performance monitoring and so on. Basically, it should not be reacting only to the things that may go wrong but should also look at how things can be improved.

Environmental Monitoring is also about anticipating damage or potential hazards and should take place within an environmental risk assessment frame work which should be part of an Environmental Management System. Please see http://www.iso.org/iso/iso14000

Environmental auditing also related to environmental monitoring. Examples of environmental audits of activities include

audits to:

• assess the risk to air quality from a

petrochemical complex

• assess the risk to surface waters and

groundwater from a wastewater treatment

plan

• assess whether a landfill cell liner has been

constructed in accordance with nominated

requirements, thereby minimising risks to

land and groundwater

http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/~/media/Publications/952%202.pdf

evaluating ecosystem services can also fit under environmental monitoring and for this topic to be more robust as i consider is the reason why David ask this question, a holistic approach should look at apart from damage or changes, quantification of ecosystem services, carying capacity of the environment to ascertain sufficiency in time and space.

Environmental Monitoring is a very broad school; compliance, condition, performance, research-based etc. The performance monitoring I have been involved in is more ecological, performance and compliance-based and focused on measuring the response of desirable biota; so this contradicts the premise of the question and its caveats. I always felt that our hypotheses should also include more specific references to the effects of our flow interventions on undesirable biota as well.

I agree, environmental monitoring is quite a general topic! However, monitoring is inexpensive today (and only getting more economical) with people all around the world using mobile devices with apps like Valarm. Democratizing the ability for anyone to do environmental monitoring (like air quality, VOCs, weather) opens up even more potential for looking at a lot more than just damage.

http://www.valarm.net/

Just to chime in here. It is a broad topic so the objectives of any monitoring program need to be specified. That said, monitoring is about change or deviation from a baseline condition, exploring process and discovering anomalies along the way..maybe.