Adaptation, Livelihoods and Ecosystems Planning Tool: User Manual
INTRODUCTION THE EbA PLANNING PROCESS and ALivE
Box 10. Adaptive management
ECOSYSTEM-BASED ADAPTATION
Uncertainties arise due to present and future climate variability as well as incomplete knowledge regarding how species, habitats, ecosystems, and people respond to these uncertainties. Adaptive management is one way to reduce such uncertainty and increase the likelihood that adaptation outcomes will be achieved. Adaptive management of natural ecosystems is an iterative process in which adaptation actions are followed by targeted long-term monitoring. It involves the understanding of current and future climate impacts, the design of actions to cope with them, followed by monitoring of climate-sensitive ecosystems, species and processes to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation options, and the redesign and improvement of these options (ECAP, 2015). Therefore, long-term monitoring becomes critically important. Knowledge gained through these monitoring efforts can be applied to adapt and improve the performance of ongoing or future EbA-related activities. It also enhances the ever-important communication that is required among scientists, managers, and stakeholders.
PHASE 1 PHASE 2 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
PHASE 3
Key elements of adaptive management:
• Establishing goals and responsibilities
• Revise actions for maximum impact
Plan
Correct
Do
Check
• Implementing key actions based on goals
• Monitor and review impacts to understand what’s working
Source: IISD, 2017
Adaptive management example: To ensure the reproduction of fish stocks and recovery of coral reefs, local authorities implemented a regular monitoring protocol that requires assessing and researching fish stocks, water quality, and reef health and analyzing the effects of climate change. Each year they consider the state of the fish stock and reef health to determine which recreational and fishing activities should be restricted. The adaptive management approach provides an explicit process for using and monitoring information directly to make management decisions about recreational and economic disturbance to ecosystems. (adapted from Reef Resilience Network)
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