USGS National Wetlands Research Center: Adaptive Management

Adaptive Management

Adaptive management programs increase the likelihood of achieving desired project or programmatic outcomes given identified uncertainties. The principal sources of uncertainty include:

Incomplete description and understanding of relevant ecosystem structure and function
Imprecise relationships between project management actions and corresponding outcomes
Engineering challenges in implementing project alternatives
Ambiguous management and decision-making processes

USGS scientists use adaptive management to develop project and programmatic frameworks for coastal restoration and protection efforts. These frameworks link goals and objectives, uncertainties, conceptual models, performance measures, monitoring, and assessment into decision-making actions.

Research

Development of Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plans for Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Projects (Dr. Gregory D. Steyer, Kari Cretini, Sarai Piazza)
Development of an Adaptive Management Framework for the State of Louisiana’s Master Plan (Dr. Gregory D. Steyer)

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