Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
CREATIVE ALTERNATIVES
Creativity. is. essential. when. considering. alternative. management. strategies.
designed. to. achieve. management. objectives.. Climate. change. will. stimulate. a.
search. for. creative. alternatives,. if. only. because. past. methods. may. fail. to. meet.
objectives.. A. structured. approach. to. management. decision. making. provides. a.
framework. for. evaluating. several. alternative. management. strategies. simultane-
ously..In.this.way,.the.manager.learns.as.quickly.as.possible.what.works.and.what.
does.not,.from.the.process.of.management.itself..This.ield-based.learning.is.not.
simply. trial. and. error,. because. alternative. strategies. are. devised. a. priori. and. a.
framework.for.evaluating.these.alternative.strategies.is.designed..The.monitoring.
program.is.designed.speciically.to.reduce.uncertainty.about.the.outcomes.of.the.
alternative.strategies.
A.common.pitfall.in.any.kind.of.planning.effort.is.the.failure.to.consider.mul-
tiple.management.options.(Gregory.and.Keeney.2002)..A.recent.review.summarized.
some.of.the.strategies.available.for.sustaining.wildlife.and.biodiversity.in.the.face.
of.climate.change.(Mawdsley.et.al..2009).(Table 12.2)..Scott.et.al..(2009).describe.a.
wide.range.of.speciic.strategies.that.the.Refuge.System.and.other.land-management.
agencies.may.need.to.undertake.to.adapt.to.climate.change,.including.assisted.dis-
persal.for.species.with.limited.dispersal.abilities,.use.of.plant.species.in.restoration.
projects. that. are. better. adapted. to. future. climate. conditions,. identifying. and. con-
serving.climate.refugia,.and.supplying.interim.food.for.mis-timed.migrants..Other.
suggested.strategies.are.more.familiar.to.managers,.such.as.prescribed.burning,.res-
toration.of.historical.hydrologic.or.ire.regimes,.and.reducing.nonclimate.stressors..
The.conservation.community.has.experience.with.some.of.the.strategies;.others.will.
require.new.tools.and.approaches;.none.are.simple.
Millar. et. al.. (2007). identiied. three. general. types. of. adaptation. strategies—
resistance,.resilience,.and.facilitation—scaled.relative.to.the.magnitude.of.climate.
change..Management.options.that.focus.on.helping.ecosystems.resist.the.inluence.of.
climate.change.are.likely.to.be.most.successful.if.the.magnitude.of.change.is.small..
However,.if.changes.in.temperature.or.precipitation.are.large,.a.strategy.of.resistance.
to.change.is.likely.to.fail.or.be.very.costly..Instead,.facilitation.strategies.designed.
to.mimic.ecological.processes.such.as.disturbance,.dispersal,.and.colonization.may.
be.more.effective..Resource.managers.will.need.to.evaluate.model.predictions.and.
select.strategies.that.are.compatible.with.the.rate.and.magnitude.of.change.predicted.
to.occur.(Galatowitsch.et.al..2009).
CONSIDERING CONSEQUENCES, EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY
m
oniToring
and
a
dapTiVe
m
anagemenT
After.setting.objectives.and.selecting.alternative.management.strategies,.a.structured.
approach.calls.for.envisioning.the.consequences.(outcomes).of.each.set.of.manage-
ment.actions.(Gregory,.Failing,.et.al..2006)..If.this.is.a.one-time.decision,.monitoring.
is.planned.to.evaluate.the.outcome..If.it.is.an.iterative.decision,.then.AM.is.indicated.
(Figure 12.2)..Monitoring.is.a.required.component.of.AM,.but.too.often.monitoring.
