Developing adaptive management guidance for groundwater planning and development

We are entering an era where species declines are occurring at their fastest ever rate, and the increased spread of non‐native species is among the top causes. High uncertainty in biological processes makes the accurate prediction of the outcomes of management interventions very challenging. Adaptive management (AM) offers solutions to reduce uncertainty and improve predictability so that the outcomes of interventions can continuously improve. We quantitatively assess the extent to which AM is used for managing vertebrates, with a focus on invasive non‐native species (INNS). Using the Web of Science, we evaluated 3992 articles returned by the search terms ‘adaptive management’ or ‘adaptive harvest management’ against seven recommended elements of AM (engagement with stakeholders, defining objectives, forecasting and estimating uncertainty, implementing management, monitoring populations, adjusting management in response to monitoring, and improving forecasting and reducing uncertainty in response to monitoring populations). The use of AM for vertebrates was reported in 56 (1%) of the evaluated studies; including four for managing INNS. Of these, ten studies excluding INNS and no studies of INNS management implemented all seven recommended elements of AM. Those elements infrequently implemented were as follows: the use of analysis or models to forecast and represent uncertainty (44%) and the feedback of monitoring data to improve forecasting and reduce uncertainty (25%). Complete active AM has rarely been implemented and reported for managing INNS, despite the significant advantages it offers. Among studies purporting to have implemented AM, most did not use analyses or models to forecast and represent uncertainty, while most defined objectives, implemented management, and monitored populations. Improvements to ongoing control programmes and much broader adoption of the AM approach are required to increase the efficiency and success of INNS management campaigns and reduce their negative impacts on native species.

Purpose of ReviewTheoretical frameworks for adaptive natural resource management are quite common, whereas documented examples showing successful implementation of adaptive management and learning through multiple time intervals have remained uncommon. Measures of quality of adaptive natural resource management processes are needed to examine potential factors driving the successful implementation. To address this gap, we developed a multimetric index composed of 22 metrics to assess quality of case studies using quantitative decision support (QDS) to inform adaptive forest management (AFM). Metrics represented three main tasks, including conceptual setup, modeling, and application. We further distinguished these into subtasks: definition of objectives and management options (setup); specifying uncertainty, prediction, and optimization (modeling); and stakeholder involvement along with practice and learning (application). We used a multimetric index to examine temporal and geographic variation in quality of reviewed case studies using QDS to inform AFM. We then conducted a structured literature review of 179 articles, wherein 34 case studies met a priori criteria.Recent FindingsWhen applying the multimetric index to these case studies, we found that over the past decade the index has been intermediate and annual average scores declined by 33% from 4.5 to 3.0 of 10 (where 10 is the highest possible quality score). Aligning with reviews of adaptive natural resource management, reported on-ground application of QDS to inform AFM was rare (n = 2). We also confirmed the expectation that there has been a substantial lack of stakeholder engagement during QDS development tasks.SummaryOur multimetric index provides a novel tool to examine gaps in the use of QDS for adaptive management in diverse domains including but not limited to forests.

Frohlich, M. F., C. Jacobson, P. Fidelman, and T. F. Smith. 2018. The relationship between adaptive management of social-ecological systems and law: a systematic review. Ecology and Society 23(2):23. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10060-230223

The amount of groundwater that is currently being used for domestic and non-domestic purposes in the basin is 17.8 million cubic meter. The net total amount of water that is actually available to recharge the groundwater circulation within the Lake Awassa catchment is 218.79 million cubic meter. Currently, 233 groundwater structures are found developed in different parts of the study area. Out of these 49 are non functional. Among the developed groundwater structures dominantly nonfunctional is hand dug wells, which comprises 29.55% of the total constructed hand dug wells. The hand dug wells are followed by shallow wells (25%), springs (19.75%) and boreholes (10%). Poor management of the constructed schemes, lack of awareness at community level, spare part problems, and construction problems are the major causes of the failure of the groundwater structures. Utilization of groundwater in the functional ones is not conducted on the basis of recommended values that were set based on the hydrogeological parameters during the development of the structures. Discharging hours are increased to satisfy the water demands of different users. Currently, groundwater is developed without groundwater management plan in uncoordinated manner by governmental and nongovernmental organizations and also privately.At present, the amount of natural recharge in the basin is more than the abstraction. The problem is not lack of water; it is rather absence of or poor management. This is mainly due to lack of efficient groundwater management organization at sub-basin level. Management of groundwater resources is crucial for better development and optimum utilization of the groundwater resources of the basin and to avoid any adverse effects. Therefore it is necessary to establish an efficient groundwater management organization that can conduct detailed groundwater management studies of the basin, follow the objectives of the national water resources management policy and also effectively implement. Keywords: Aquifer ; Ethiopia;Groundwater management; Hydrogeology;Lake Awsasa DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-12-01 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

Adaptive optimization of renewable natural resources: Solution algorithms and a computer program

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the changes organizations can adopt to move beyond budgeting. We show how these changes can be understood as modes of adaptive performance management that explains the ways in which organizations move beyond budgeting to become more adaptive. The proposed modes are then used to derive propositions for future research. Methodology/approach: We follow a conceptual approach through an analysis of the beyond budgeting principles using the management and systems literatures on radical decentralization. We theorize how organizations can enhance their adaptability to environmental uncertainty through changes to their management structure and control processes. Findings: We show that organizations can move beyond budgeting by decentralizing within or beyond their management structure and modifying or removing their budget-based control processes. We propose that beyond budgeting can be conceptualized as four modes of adaptive performance management: better budgeting, advanced budgeting, restricted budgeting, and nonbudgeting. Research limitations/implications: The four modes of adaptive performance management can be used in future research to consider how changes to management structures and budget-based control processes can enhance the organizational adaptability needed to manage environmental uncertainty. Practical implications: We show that while the nonbudgeting mode may be most suited to organizations facing high levels of environmental uncertainty, organizations facing low–to-moderate levels of environmental uncertainty can achieve sufficient levels of adaptability with less extensive changes to management structure and budget-based control processes. Originality/value: The four modes of adaptive performance management reflect different approaches for dealing with environmental uncertainty. Positioning nonbudgeting as one mode and identifying alternate modes of adaptive performance management provides a basis for comparing and understanding the changes organizations make to move beyond budgeting.

The pyramid of human needs developed by Abraham Maslow is based upon the presumption that until a person's lower level needs are fulfilled, higher level needs remain irrelevant. Groundwater and land-use management can likewise utilize such a hierarchy in integrating plans and operations with the needs of the society. Only once a region's population has fulfilled more basic concerns can higher-level groundwater and land-use management needs be effectively achieved. Attaining the ultimate goal of resource sustainability would certainly require considerable public backing, both for financial support and minimizing ambient pollution. For efficient water management to supply a society's water needs for future generations, sustainable groundwater management will require the full support of an educated society. The objective of the authors is to point out how essential it is to integrate operational strategies into regional hierarchies of needs applicable to groundwater management, land-use, and social planning. The situation of groundwater resources in Israel's Sharon Coastal aquifer region is taken as a case in point. Remedial groundwater activities have been undertaken in the management program for this aquifer. But it appears that maximal management efficiency cannot be achieved until the public's basic concerns are satisfactorily addressed and water resources planners reach consensus and a working partnership with the society in question. Operational measures must be clearly shown to benefit the region's population as regards their social, economic, and environmental concerns. This can only be achieved through public education, promoting awareness of the issuesbreak involved.

Marine conservation programs in Oceania are increasingly turning to precautionary and adaptive management, particularly approaches which emphasize local participation and customary management. Although the application of community-based natural resource management is widespread in the region, the full integration of local knowledge and practices into the design, implementation, and monitoring of community-based conservation programs has been limited. There is also little empirical data to show whether or not community-based conservation projects are meeting their stated objectives. This paper summarizes an integrated method for selecting Marine Protected Area (MPA) sites and presents empirical evidence that illustrates how an MPA that was largely conceived using indigenous ecological knowledge and existing sea tenure governance (i.e., customary management practices), as part of a regional precautionary and adaptive community-based management plan, is showing signs of biological and social success. More generally, the paper shows how hybrid natural and social research approaches in tandem with customary management for designing MPAs can protect coral reefs in Oceania.

Reflections on the use of Bayesian belief networks for adaptive management

Groundwater is the world's largest freshwater resource and due to overextraction, levels have declined in many regions causing extensive social and environmental impacts. Groundwater management seeks to balance and mitigate the detrimental impacts of development, with plans commonly used to outline management pathways. Thus, plan efficiency is crucial, but seldom are plans systematically and quantitatively assessed for effectiveness. This study frames groundwater management as a system control problem in order to develop a novel testability assessment rubric to determine if plans meet the requirements of a control loop, and subsequently, whether they can be quantitatively tested. Seven components of a management plan equivalent to basic components of a control loop were determined, and requirements of each component necessary to enable testability were defined. Each component was weighted based upon proposed relative importance, then segmented into rated categories depending on the degree the requirements were met. Component importance varied but, a defined objective or acceptable impact was necessary for plans to be testable. The rubric was developed within the context of the Australian groundwater management industry, and while use of the rubric is not limited to Australia, it was applied to 15 Australian groundwater management plans and approximately 47% were found to be testable. Considering the importance of effective groundwater management, and the central role of plans, our lack of ability to test many plans is concerning.

Groundwater contamination by emerging contaminants (ECs) such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, microplastics, and endocrine-disrupting compounds is a significant global issue that poses serious risks to human health, ecological balance, and water security. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the sources and pathways of ECs, their environmental impacts, and the health risks they pose to humans. It further evaluates remediation strategies, highlighting their effectiveness and limitations. This review highlights the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning in real-time monitoring, predictive modeling, and adaptive groundwater management.

Assessing the potential for forest management practitioner participation in climate change adaptation

Water resources management must overcome the dilemma between the timing of water demands and availability. Groundwater resources are often tapped to fulfill demands during reduced surface water availability or in regions without access to surface water, resulting in a global phenomenon of groundwater depletion as groundwater withdrawals exceed recharge. Sustainable groundwater management requires approaches to assess the influence of adaptive management on the evolution of groundwater systems. In this chapter, we evaluate the spatiotemporal groundwater dynamics in the Coachella Valley of California to assess relationships between groundwater management and use. Our results illustrate spatially limited effects of adaptive management that occur against a setting of long-term groundwater depletion, highlighting the need to employ integrative and diverse adaptive management schemes to achieve sustainable groundwater management.

Methods for calculating the safe yield are evaluated in this paper using a high-quality and long historical data set of groundwater recharge, discharge, extraction, and precipitation in a karst aquifer. Consideration is given to the role that climatic variability has on the determination of a climatically representative period with which to evaluate the safe yield. The methods employed to estimate the safe yield are consistent with its definition as a long-term average extraction rate that avoids adverse impacts on groundwater. The safe yield is a useful baseline for groundwater planning; yet, it is herein shown that it is not an operational rule that works well under all climatic conditions. This paper shows that due to the nature of dynamic groundwater processes it may be most appropriate to use an adaptive groundwater management strategy that links groundwater extraction rates to groundwater discharge rates, thus achieving a safe yield that represents an estimated long-term sustainable yield. An example of the calculation of the safe yield of the Edwards Aquifer (Texas) demonstrates that it is about one-half of the average annual recharge.

Flood risk is an increasingly critical concern in urban development as the frequency and severity of floods escalate due to climate change and intensified economic activities. Despite extensive studies on flood risk management (FRM), a significant gap persists in practical frameworks that systematically integrate FRM principles across the entire lifecycle of development projects. To address this gap, this study conducted a scoping review of 27 peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2024, retrieved from Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases. Using a thematic analysis approach, four major themes were identified: (1) the risk–hazard model, (2) risk assessment theory, (3) project lifecycle theory, and (4) risk management theory. These themes were synthesized to develop a unified conceptual framework that embeds FRM throughout project planning, design, implementation, and operation. The proposed framework emphasizes early risk identification, continuous stakeholder engagement, adaptive management, and interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling proactive integration of FRM into development processes. This novel approach aligns flood resilience with broader urban sustainability and planning objectives, offering a practical tool for policymakers, project managers, and urban planners. Future research should focus on empirical validation and contextual adaptation of the framework across diverse socio-economic and geographical settings to enhance its global applicability.