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Integrating external and internal learning in resource management
Author(s) -
Williams Byron K.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.1002/jwmg.814
Subject(s) - computer science , resource (disambiguation) , documentation , risk analysis (engineering) , knowledge management , management science , resource management (computing) , process management , engineering , business , computer network , programming language
In recent years, much has been written about different ways to investigate managed natural resource systems under uncertainty. Two general approaches can be identified: an external approach, in which experimentation and assessment of the resource system proceed independently of management, and an internal approach, in which management interventions are used as treatments to explore system processes and their responses to management. The latter often is described in terms of experimental management or “learning by doing.” Surprisingly, there has been little documentation about the integration of these 2 approaches in a common framework for learning about managed resource systems, despite the fact that both are frequently pursued simultaneously. I discuss both internal and external approaches to learning in some detail, focusing on uncertainty about the processes that influence system dynamics and the potential for its reduction. I then describe a framework that allows for the incorporation of both modes of learning, and consider a number of specific variations. Finally, I discuss some questions that arise with the combined framework, along with some potential challenges and possible extensions. Integrating internal and external learning modes can potentially accelerate the rate of learning, but it also complicates the challenge of identifying efficient research and management designs. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.