Hey guys! Today I’m going to introduce to you guys the topic of adaptive management. I first introduced to this concept in my undergraduate degree and it always resonated with me. Adaptive management is about trying things out, making mistakes and getting messy as Miss Frizzle would say (please somebody get this reference!). Anyways time to dive on in! More after the jump. So as I briefly explained adaptive management is a technique that focusses on trial and error. This is because in a lot of aquatic systems there exists a high amount of uncertainty. Sure, scientists have been studying water and the land for a really really long time, but these systems are huge and extremely complex and even with computer models and top notch technology we cannot predict how some of these systems will react to different management techniques. That’s where adaptive management comes into play. Adaptive management seeks to reduce the uncertainty involved in some of these contexts. It should be noted however that even if AM is being done perfectly, some amount of uncertainty will surely remain. Now I know I still haven’t really given you guys a definition for adaptive management, but that’s because there are different types of AM. The three main types of adaptive management are: evolutionary adaptive management, passive adaptive management and active adaptive management. Evolutionary adaptive management is essentially just trial and error and learning from your mistakes. It’s the type of adaptive management that humans have been doing for years without even realizing it. Simple but effective! The next two types are a little more formalized. First passive adaptive management works upon best management strategies and existing scientific knowledge to guide management strategies. Essentially you’re piggy backing on other information you already have and hoping to add to the bank of knowledge yourself. Active adaptive management has to do with trying out several strategies to see what works. The main focus on active adaptive management is learning. Managers come up with multiple management strategies and try them all in order to see what works. For example, if there is a dam and the river downstream is experience some erosion issues; managers can begin to tinker with the flow of water from the dam and then monitor the situation to see whether the erosion gets worse or better. Monitoring is of the utmost importance in active adaptive management. Below I put some figures that I borrowed from the book “Integrated and Adaptive Water Resources Planning, Management, and Governance” by Adamowski et al. It shows the different patterns that active and passive adaptive management follow. If you’re interested in reading more on the subject, then I suggest you check out the book I referenced above. It has a great chapter full of information and examples. Anyways hope you learned a little bit today! PASSIVE ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT Active Adaptive Management
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AuthorsJust two water lovers exploring todays water issues. Archives
July 2017
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