Chapter 1 - Introduction (d) The exercise of the resource consents that have effect in [the Plan area]- and take appropriate action (having regard to the methods available under this Act) where this is shown to be necessary.” Monitoring is an important mechanism for assessing how the Plan and the Council are fulfilling the Act’s purpose of promoting sustainable management of the natural and physical resources of the Marlborough Sounds. It is information collection, recording, analysis and comparison that makes up monitoring and review. This process includes gathering information and maintaining records in respect of specific resources, the state of the environment, and the compliance of resource consents with their conditions. With the number and range of resource management issues, and objectives, policies, and methods relating to the sustainable management of resources, that are contained within the Plan the scope for monitoring is huge. However, practical reality means that priorities need to be set for the monitoring programme. Monitoring will be prioritised and targeted to: • Resource components of the Marlborough Sounds environment, including freshwater, coastal and land ecosystems, and air; • Parameters of community wellbeing; and • Deficiencies in existing monitoring programs. Throughout Volume One of the Plan, ‘anticipated environmental results’ are specified for groups of linked resource management issues. These results form the basis for the monitoring programme. The monitoring and review programme will be undertaken in a comprehensive strategy made up of three major components, being: • State of the Environment Monitoring that measures existing and cumulative effects, and establishes environmental quality against which future changes can be measured; • Consent Compliance Monitoring that compares anticipated and actual effects of specifically approved activities; and • Plan Achievement Monitoring that assesses the effectiveness of achieving sustainable resource management as defined by the objectives and policies within the Plan. Using a variety of monitoring procedures the anticipated environmental results suggest the monitoring strategy will need to include assessment of the Monitoring Factors defined in Table 1.1: Monitoring Factors. 1 - 11