The terrestrial ecosystems at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Channel Islands National Park, and Cabrillo National Monument include a diverse array of animal species, from large mammals such as mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains to rare island endemics such as land snails that occur only on the Channel Islands.  Science and resource management activities involving terrestrial animals focus on the conservation challenges facing these species across the region.  For example, extensive work is underway to evaluate the effects of urban encroachment, habitat fragmentation, and disturbance on animals in the Santa Monica Mountains and at Cabrillo National Monument.  At Channel Islands National Park, scientists and resource managers are engaged in efforts to eliminate exotic animals from the park, restore native fauna to island ecosystems, and assess the long-term effects of these actions.  Park scientists, resource managers, agency cooperators, university researchers, and others all participate to help understand and mitigate threats to animal species at network parks.  Ultimately, the goals are that scientific information will be used to guide park planning and management decisions, and will provide interesting and compelling stories for the public about the diverse and important animal communities found in Mediterranean Coast Network parks.

^IN biological inventory project
^VS ecosystem vital sign monitoring project