Adaptive management has also become a foundational element of DoD natural resource management efforts. Adaptive management most simply means “learning by doing and adapting based on what’s learned” (Walters and Holling 1990). The essence of adaptive management is recognition of alternative hypotheses about how a system functions and may respond to management interventions, together with an assessment of these hypotheses based on monitoring and empirical data (Williams and Brown 2012). The INRMP Implementation Manual (DoDM 4715.03) calls for the use of adaptive management by installation natural resource managers, particularly within the framework of ecosystem management.
Go to next page: Emerging Trends in DoD Biodiversity Conservation
Author
Bruce Stein, Ph.D., Chief Scientist and Associate Vice President
National Wildlife Federation
A Shift Toward Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity Conservation Sections
A Shift Toward Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity Conservation
Box 1.1: Importance of Biodiversity Conservation for the Military Mission