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Introducing Adaptive Management for Natural Resources: An Estuary Case Study
Author(s) -
Dreiss Lindsay M.,
Kloster Danielle P.,
Liberati Marjorie R.,
Barclay Janet R.,
Hessenauer JanMichael,
Nathan Lucas R.,
O'Connor Kelly M.,
Vokoun Jason C.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
natural sciences education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2168-8281
DOI - 10.4195/nse2015.0023
Subject(s) - adaptive management , environmental resource management , stakeholder , wildlife , natural resource , national park , service (business) , business , ecosystem services , wilderness , process (computing) , natural resource management , ecosystem management , environmental planning , geography , ecology , political science , ecosystem , computer science , environmental science , public relations , archaeology , marketing , biology , operating system
Adaptive management (AM) is a systematic process for improving environmental management policies and practices in a way that incorporates uncertainty and learning. In the realm of natural resources, AM is increasingly being used by management agencies in the United States (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service) and non‐governmental organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund). As such, it is important that students in natural resources, conservation, and environmental management majors become familiar with the concepts of AM. This case study uses the real‐world example of the Herring River estuary restoration project (Cape Cod, MA) to demonstrate the theoretical processes involved in adaptively managing an ecosystem governed by ecological uncertainties and a wide range of stakeholders. Through the incorporation of role‐play, students gain experience with the AM framework while actively learning about the role of uncertainty and stakeholder perspectives in decision‐making. The case was tested with a group of students from an introductory course on environmental conservation to gauge student interest and verify proof of concept. Following the case study, students felt that they would be able to define adaptive management and explain the concept to their classmates, despite no prior exposure to AM.