Adaptive Management of Environmental Flows — 10 Years On

2009 ◽  
pp. 261-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Ladson
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Environmental Flows

Dam Design can Impede Adaptive Management of Environmental Flows: A Case Study from the Opuha Dam, New Zealand

2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 459-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
JoAnna Lessard ◽  
D. Murray Hicks ◽  
Ton H. Snelder ◽  
David B. Arscott ◽  
Scott T. Larned ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Environmental Flows

scholarly journals Adaptive Management of Environmental Flows

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Angus Webb ◽  
Robyn J. Watts ◽  
Catherine Allan ◽  
John C. Conallin
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Environmental Flows

scholarly journals Adaptive and transformative learning in environmental water management: Implementing the Crocodile River’s Ecological Reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig A. McLoughlin ◽  
Eddie S. Riddell ◽  
Robin M. Petersen ◽  
Jacques Venter
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Adaptive Management ◽  
National Park ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Ecological Reserve

Freshwater biodiversity loss in the Anthropocene escalates the need for successful environmental water management to sustain human benefitting ecosystem services. Of the world’s river basins, one-third are now severely water depleted, rendering the quality and quantity of water to maintain or restore freshwater ecosystem integrity increasingly urgent. However, managing environmental water is intricate because of complexity and uncertainty in interacting social and biophysical system components, and trade-offs between costs and benefits of implementing environmental flows. Learning enabled adaptive management – embracing the uncertainty – is essential; however, practising adaptive management (worldwide) is challenging; single-, double- and triple-loop learning is required, along with social learning, to tackle complex problems. There is progressive realisation of environmental flows (Ecological Reserve) in the Crocodile River, South Africa, linked to the Kruger National Park, using Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM). In this research article, we reflected on adaptive (single- and double-loop) learning and transformative (triple-loop) learning capacity emergent in SAM between 2009 and 2019 whilst also considering social learning potentials. We found evidence of preconditions (e.g. transparency) for social learning within a burgeoning stakeholder ‘community-of-practice’, likely fostering capacities (e.g. information sharing) for sustained social learning. Adaptive and transformative learning is enabled by social learning, underpinned by ongoing nested feedbacks supporting assessment and reflection, which facilitates single-, double- and triple-loop learning. Champions exist and are vital for sustaining the adaptive management system. Executing adaptive and transformative learning aids in positive change across the range of ecological, social and economic outcomes that are essential for success in environmental water programmes, worldwide.Conservation implications: Crocodile River Ecological Reserve implementation, associated with Kruger National Park, provided an important national precedent (lessons) for protecting the ecological integrity of river systems – obligatory under the National Water Act (Act No 36 of 1998). We demonstrated the importance of ongoing stakeholder learning for successful management of the Ecological Reserve.

scholarly journals Conservation management of rivers and wetlands under climate change - a synthesis

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard T. Kingsford
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Flow Regimes ◽  
Regulated Rivers ◽  
Socioeconomic Impacts ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales

Dams, diversion of water, invasive species, overharvesting and pollution are degrading rivers and wetlands. Climate change may exacerbate impacts of these threats through predicted reductions in rainfall and increased temperature, decreasing flow and altering timing and variability of flow regimes. Papers in this special issue identify conservation-management strategies for wetlands and rivers through recovery of flow regimes, alteration of dam operations, protected-area management and improved governance and adaptive management. On most regulated rivers, flow regimes should be recovered by increasing environmental flows. Alteration of dam operations can also improve river health through structures on dams (e.g. fishways, multi-level offtakes), reinstating floodplains and improving flow delivery. Further, time-limited licensing for dams and accompanying regular assessments of safety and of environmental and socioeconomic impacts could improve operations. Protected areas remain the core strategy for conservation, with recent improvements in their identification and management, supported by analytical tools that integrate across large spatial and temporal scales. Finally, effective conservation requires good governance and rigorous adaptive management. Conservation management of rivers and wetlands can be significantly improved by adopting these strategies although considerable challenges remain, given increasing human pressures on freshwater resources, compounded by the impacts of climate change.

scholarly journals Learning from concurrent adaptive management in multiple catchments within a large environmental flows program in Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 668-680
Author(s):  
Robyn J. Watts ◽  
Fiona Dyer ◽  
Paul Frazier ◽  
Ben Gawne ◽  
Paul Marsh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Environmental Flows

scholarly journals Environmental Flows Assessments in the face of uncertainty: supporting the adaptive management of environmental flows

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avril Horne ◽  
J Webb ◽  
Meghan Mussehl ◽  
Andrew John ◽  
Libby Rumpff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Environmental Flow ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Assessment Methodology ◽  
Participatory Approaches ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
The Face

Adaptive management has become the preferred approach for managing environmental flows globally, and successful implementation recognizes multiple dimensions of variability and complexity in socio-ecological systems. This paper outlines an environmental flow assessment methodology that explicitly addresses the uncertainty and change inherent in adaptively managing multiple values for management of environmental flows. While non-stationarity and uncertainty are well recognised in the climate literature, these have not been addressed within the structure of environmental flows methodologies. Here, we present an environmental flow assessment that is structured to explicitly consider future change and uncertainty in climate and socio-ecological values, by examining scenarios using ecological models. The environmental flow assessment methodology further supports adaptive management through the intentional integration of participatory approaches and the inclusion of diverse stakeholders. We present a case study to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, highlighting how this methodology facilitates adaptive management. Rethinking our approach to environmental flows assessments is an important step in ensuring that environmental flows continue to work effectively as a management tool under climate change.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document