Application Of Adaptive Management Research Articles

Appraising strategic adaptive management as a process of organizational learning

Adaptive management is a systematic approach for linking learning with implementation to facilitate ongoing improvement in natural resource management. The idea of learning from experience and adapting subsequent policies, strategies and actions, is intuitively appealing. However, application of adaptive management has been hindered by several obstacles, including a paucity of documented lessons from existing adaptive management practices and inadequate attention to the complex social aspects of learning. Here we address these two impediments through (i) a case study of an established version of adaptive management and its application in the context of protected area management plans, and (ii) its critical comparison and conceptual integration with the seminal theory of organizational knowledge creation (TOKC), which emphasizes the social aspects of learning. As case study, we focus on Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM), which has been iteratively developed and implemented by South African National Parks for more than 20 years. We used TOKC as a conceptual sounding board to reflect on and appraise the learning that takes place through SAM. A comparison of the main steps of the SAM cycle with corresponding stages outlined by TOKC revealed remarkable complementarity between these two approaches, but also important differences. The conceptual comparison deepened our understanding of SAM's learning performance as well as potential, revealing strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. Key insights include that valuable and different forms of learning takes place during each step of the SAM cycle. This learning can be enhanced through careful attention to approaches for creating, sharing and making explicit the tacit knowledge of individuals. Furthermore, dialogue and co-learning with stakeholders should be maintained beyond the visioning and objectives setting step of SAM. Based on insights gained, we developed a new and complementary conceptualization of SAM, as a spiraling process of organizational learning enabled by the interplay between tacit and explicit forms of knowledge, which in turn is mediated by different types of social interactions, media and engagement with practice. We believe that this conceptualization can help to better acknowledge and enable learning as one of the most fundamental purposes and outcomes of SAM, and adaptive management more generally.

Adaptive management in groundwater planning and development: A review of theory and applications

Adaptive management (AM) is an approach that uses targeted monitoring and investigation to improve future management practices in a structured and iterative way through reassessment of the efficacy of management policies and system understanding. AM has received significant attention in groundwater management for its purported capability to counteract key uncertainties inherent in estimating future environmental responses to human activities. While the theoretical strengths of AM have long been recognized, practical applications have produced mixed results across the many facets of environmental management. In this study, we review AM principles and groundwater management case studies, including urban water supply, agriculture and mining applications, to critically evaluate AM strategies applied to groundwater contexts. We identified substantial variability in the interpretation of AM principles across eleven groundwater case studies. Comparison of published AM guidelines and groundwater examples of AM plans revealed significant shortcomings in many AM applications, while a small number of AM plans largely adhere to the key components of AM identified in the guidelines. The most notable issues in the application of AM to groundwater activities include a lack of substantive mitigation measures and/or assessment of the potential for remediation. Construction of clear definitions and guidelines for AM applied to groundwater management is required to set the expectations of regulatory bodies and government departments responsible for assessing groundwater-affecting projects, and to ensure that the protective attributes of AM are properly incorporated into project plans. This will lead to greater transparency in groundwater related planning and expected outcomes for stakeholders.

Large-scale Water-related Innovative Renewable Energy Projects and the Habitats and Birds Directives: Legal Issues and Solutions

This article discusses two legal issues that relate to the conflict between the interest of protecting habitats and species under the Habitats and Birds Directives, versus the interest of promoting the use of innovative water-related renewable energy, with regard to the quota in the Renewable Energy Directive. These legal issues are: first, the possible conflict between the protection rules of the Habitats and Birds Directive on the one hand and the Renewable Energy Directive on the other hand, and second, the lack of integration between the Renewable Energy Directive and the derogation clauses of the Habitats and Birds Directives. Tidal stream energy is used as a case study to show the practical relevance of the legal issues for the large-scale deployment of innovative water-related renewable energy techniques. The final sections discuss solutions to the legal issues. These are first, the application of adaptive management in combination with mitigation or phased deployment, in order to deal with uncertainty, and second, the introduction of detailed renewable energy plans per Member State in order to increase integration between the Habitats and Birds Directives and the Renewable Energy Directive. The final sections also discuss the applicability of the findings of this article to other innovative water-related renewable energy sources such as wave energy and salinity gradient energy (blue energy).

Large-scale Water-related Innovative Renewable Energy Projects and the Water Framework Directive

This article discusses two legal issues that relate to the conflict between the interest of protecting water quality under the Water Framework Directive (wfd), versus the interest of promoting the use of innovative water-related renewable energy, with regard to the quota in the Renewable Energy Directive. These legal issues are: first, the conflict between the provisions of the wfd and the Renewable Energy Directive as expressed by the no-deterioration obligation, and second, the lack of integration between the Renewable Energy Directive and the derogation clause of the Water Framework Directive. Tidal energy and salinity gradient energy (blue energy) are used as a case study to show the practical relevance of the legal issues for innovative water-related renewable energy techniques. The final section discusses solutions to the legal issues. These are first, the application of adaptive management in combination with phased deployment in order to deal with uncertainty, and second, the introduction of detailed renewable energy plans per Member State in order to increase integration between the wfd and the Renewable Energy Directive.

Technical challenges in the application of adaptive management

Adaptive management is an approach for simultaneously managing and learning about natural resources, by acknowledging uncertainty and seeking to reduce it through the process of management itself. Adaptive decision making can be applied to pressing issues in conservation biology such as species reintroduction, disease and invasive species control, and habitat restoration, as well as to management of natural resources in general. After briefly outlining a framework and process for adaptive management, we focus on an overview of the key technical issues related to problem framing and the ability of resource managers to learn from their experience. These technical issues include the treatment of uncertainty and its propagation over time; nonstationarity in long-term environmental trends; the applicability of adaptive management across scales; requirements for models and management alternatives that promote learning; the value of the information produced with adaptive management; the challenge to management of uncertainty and surprise; and institutional (social) learning. To accommodate these and other challenges that are now coming into focus, the learning-based approach of adaptive management will need to be adjusted and expanded in the future.

Effectiveness analysis of resource usage of multiservice information and telecommunication network

The article is devoted to the task of providing the requirements for the rapid exchange of information in the information and telecommunication networks. It is conducted an analysis of the factors determining the efficiency of information and telecommunication network and the use of network resources and methods and mathematical models for control of the telecommunication networks. It is shown that modern methods of data flow control, though, provide load balancing of network resources, but does not take into account some of the factors causing the fluctuation nature of network traffic. The basic methods of controlling the distribution of traffic on the network and used mathematical models used are considered. It is shown that the efficiency of the use of network resources can be enhanced by the development and application of adaptive management. It is determined multiparameter function evaluating the performance of the network protocol. It is given the criterion of selection of the most efficient network protocol that takes into account the critical and non-critical parameters of the network, as well as the processing of information messages. As a generalized indicator of efficiency of the total processing time are selected informational messages at a fixed time interval. The mathematical optimization problem of choosing the most efficient network protocol is formulated. The results can be used in the development of management techniques for specialized multi-information telecommunication networks.

Implementing integrated and systems approaches to water quality management considering data uncertainty

The paper emphasises the need for a system analysis approach at all scales in a water system considering all elements, subsystems and their interactions. In order to support this process in developing countries, the paper presents best management practices of monitoring and regulation of water resources. Furthermore, it recommends the integration of the modelling, decision and information support tools with the corresponding monitoring practices, regulatory instruments and management activities in a closed-loop cycle. Estimation and implications of monitoring data uncertainties are illustrated by two case study examples based on water quality monitoring data in the Southern African region. One is related to compliance with regulatory instruments and the other to pollution load assessments. Implications of monitoring data characteristics and uncertainty are discussed. Considering the conditions in developing countries, characterised by shortage of resources and lack of data, the application of adaptive management and modelling strategies in the water resources management practice is recommended.

Using Problem-based Learning to Teach Concepts for Ecological Restoration

The uncertainty that characterizes ecological restoration presents a challenge for both instructors and practitioners. There are uncertainties arising from unknown synergistic effects between organisms and their environment. There are more uncertainties due to insufficient data about the physical and biological features of an area and how it became degraded. These complexities are compounded by multiple perspectives involved in establishing appropriate restoration targets, identifying relevant reference ecosystems, and exploring potential novel ecosystems. In contrast to one-way knowledge dissemination common in most university settings, problem-based learning allows students to develop technical and problem-solving skills that we believe provide a valuable approach to working with the uncertainties and complexities inherent in ecological restoration. Problem-based learning promotes a better understanding of problems and teaches students to find their own solutions to restoring degraded environments and to expect uncertainty. We can also use problem-based learning to clarify the meaning and application of adaptive management as a process to reduce uncertainty. The three case studies we present to illustrate our point and the ecological concepts relevant to ecological restoration they represent are: 1) reductions in biodiversity on gulf islands; prey suppression, trophic cascades; 2) nitrogen fertilizer impacts on moles; prey switching, peripheral populations, invasive species, novel ecosystems; and 3) interspecific competition between squirrels; commensalism, niche width.

Evaluating the efficacy of adaptive management approaches: Is there a formula for success?

Within the field of natural-resources management, the application of adaptive management is appropriate for complex problems high in uncertainty. Adaptive management is becoming an increasingly popular management-decision tool within the scientific community and has developed into two primary schools of thought: the Resilience-Experimentalist School (with high emphasis on stakeholder involvement, resilience, and highly complex models) and the Decision-Theoretic School (which results in relatively simple models through emphasizing stakeholder involvement for identifying management objectives). Because of these differences, adaptive management plans implemented under each of these schools may yield varying levels of success. We evaluated peer-reviewed literature focused on incorporation of adaptive management to identify components of successful adaptive management plans. Our evaluation included adaptive management elements such as stakeholder involvement, definitions of management objectives and actions, use and complexity of predictive models, and the sequence in which these elements were applied. We also defined a scale of degrees of success to make comparisons between the two adaptive management schools of thought. Our results include the relationship between the adaptive management process documented in the reviewed literature and our defined continuum of successful outcomes. Our data suggest an increase in the number of published articles with substantive discussion of adaptive management from 2000 to 2009 at a mean rate of annual change of 0.92 ( r 2 = 0.56). Additionally, our examination of data for temporal patterns related to each school resulted in an increase in acknowledgement of the Decision-Theoretic School of thought at a mean annual rate of change of 0.02 ( r 2 = 0.6679) and a stable acknowledgement for the Resilience-Experimentalist School of thought ( r 2 = 0.0042; slope = 0.0013). Identifying the elements of successful adaptive management will be advantageous to natural-resources managers considering adaptive management as a decision tool.

Restoration of Waterbird Habitats in Chesapeake Bay: Great Expectations orSisyphusRevisited?

In the past half century, many waterbird populations in Chesapeake Bay have declined or shifted ranges, indicating major ecological changes have occurred. While many studies have focused on the problems associated with environmental degradation such as the losses of coastal wetlands and submerged vegetation, a number of restoration efforts have been launched in the past few decades to reverse the “sea of despair.” Most pertinent to waterbirds, restoration of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds, tidal wetland restoration, oyster reef restoration, and island creation/restoration have benefited a number of species. State and federal agencies and non-government agencies have formed partnerships to spawn many projects ranging in size from less than 0.5 ha to ca. 1,000 ha. While most SAV, wetland, and oyster reef projects have struggled to different degrees over the past ten to twenty years with inconsistent methods, irregular monitoring, and unknown reasons for failures, recent improvements in techniques and application of adaptive management have been made. The large dredge-material island projects at Hart-Miller Island near Baltimore, Poplar Island west of Tilghman Island, Maryland, and Craney Island in Portsmouth, Virginia have provided large outdoor “laboratories” for wildlife, fishery, and wetland habitat creation. All three have proven to be important for nesting waterbirds and migrant shorebirds and waterfowl; however nesting populations at all three islands have been compromised to different degrees by predators. Restoration success for waterbirds and other natural resources depends on: (1) establishing realistic, quantifiable objectives and performance criteria, (2) continued monitoring and management (e.g., predator control), (3) targeted research to determine causality, and (4) careful evaluation under an adaptive management regime.

Pitfalls of Applying Adaptive Management to a Wolf Population in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

We examined adaptive management (AM), applied as a science with testable and falsifiable hypothesis, in the context of a large carnivore population, specifically to wolf (Canis lupus lycaon) management in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Evidence of a population decline was based upon 12 years of data on 137 different radio-collared wolves. Because human killing accounted for an average of 66% of deaths, and most killing occurred adjacent to the park, a management prescription of complete protection for wolves around the park for 30 months was initiated in January 2001. We evaluated the probability of being able to test the null hypothesis, that protecting wolves adjacent to the park for 30 months would not result in a positive population response. Using preceding variances in population change, yearling recruitment, and mortality rates, we conducted this evaluation in two ways, the former involving a power analysis, the latter involving modeling. Both approaches showed the falsifiability of the hypothesis to be low. The reason, inherent in the application of AM to issues of population biology, especially of large carnivores, was stochasticity of the ecological system and time constraints of the human system. We discuss the political background that led up to the management prescription, and ways to avoid misapplication of a scientific approach to AM in such situations. For the latter, the merit of adjusting the relative probability levels of making Type I or Type II errors are discussed, along with recommendations that in the interests of conservation, avoiding a Type II error holds precedence.

USING TECHNICAL ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT TO IMPROVE DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR URBAN INSTREAM STRUCTURES1

ABSTRACT: Adaptive management is a heuristic approach to treating stream restoration projects as continuous, cyclic experiments, yielding results to be incorporated into future decisions. This comprehensive assessment views failures as surprises that are valuable lessons. Monitoring, evaluation of data, and communication of results are critical; the monitoring results trigger feedback mechanisms to invoke adaptation to the newly acquired information and communication of new hypotheses, treatments, or policies. The principles of adaptive management were applied to a monitoring study of three urban stream restoration sites in Maryland. Data were collected and evaluated for various restoration techniques, including vanes, cross vanes, step pools, root wads, imbricated riprap walls, and coir fiber rolls. Improvements to the existing Maryland design guidelines and policies were developed as the feedback mechanism. With the increasing application of adaptive management in stream restoration efforts, it is likely that repeated failures will be prevented and future restoration projects will be more successful in achieving their goals.