adaptive management

adaptive management, iterative approach by which resource managers work toward ecological restoration goals while simultaneously monitoring and studying the effects and impacts of previous management techniques. Adaptive management uses hypothesis testing to inform decisions about the next stage of management effort and thus enables shifting management goals in light of new information. It is particularly useful when optimal reference conditions for ecological restoration are unclear or when targets or baselines are moving, as may be the case for resources affected by global warming. Adaptive management plans can provide for scientific uncertainty through active testing and through further study of systems with substantial knowledge gaps. Perhaps most importantly, it can be used to enlist broad public support, because such plans can be open to diverse societal values.