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Adaptive management is important for the implementation of NBS projects. Adaptive management is a flexible project implementation process used when there are uncertainties associated with a management decision. Adaptive management is generally viewed as a cycle that involves planning, implementation, and monitoring outcomes so that appropriate management adjustments can be made if necessary (Williams et al. 2007; Figure A.1). This form of adaptive management has been called passive, whereas active adaptive management involves a semiexperimental project design that includes planning and implementing varied management techniques, monitoring those varied management strategies, and revised action that implements the management variation that results in the greatest level of desired outcomes (National Research Council 2004). It will be beneficial for DOI to implement active adaptive management where possible to test different variations of NBS strategies. DOI policy on implementation of adaptive management ensures that adaptive management is considered in its policies, plans, guidance documents, agreements, and other instruments for the management or costewardship of resources under the department’s jurisdiction (DOI 2023).
Figure A.1 The adaptive management process
Adapted from Williams et al. 2007.
NBS projects should be monitored to ensure that the desired outcomes and cobenefits for both nature and people occur. Where they are not, the project should be reevaluated and adjusted to ensure optimal outcomes are achieved. It is important to select metrics that measure all desired project outcomes. These metrics should be selected during the planning and design stage of a project, using the decision context and identified uncertainties to determine which metrics to measure and how they will be measured (scale, temporal frequency, sampling intensity, and others) (Marcot et al. 2012). Monitoring costs should be factored into the project budget. Future project adjustments need to be considered in maintenance and operations plans as well. If there is a risk of high costs to adjust the management approach, a financial assurance mechanism, such as a trust, can be used to ensure appropriate adaptive management can be applied.
For more information on adaptive management, see existing DOI materials including the DOI Adaptive Management Technical Guide (Williams et al. 2009), the DOI Adaptive Management Application Guide (Williams and Brown 2012), and the DOI Adaptive Management Policy (2023).