Systems thinking

This sourcebook has two purposes. The first is to provide a selection of evaluation tools and change mechanisms for collaborative groups to consider and use. The second is tostimulate discussion of evaluation and adaptation in collaborative resource management. Collaborative resource management and adaptive management are not new concepts, but experience has not caught up to theory, and there is much to learn from the rapidly evolving efforts underway.

Media File: 

evaluation__adapatation_in_collab_resource_mgmt.pdf

   As the global population surges, dams have been increasingly adopted as a way to keep up with skyrocketing demands for water and energy.

  At present the majority of tree planting in Africa focuses on monotypic stands of non-native species, which offer limited added value in terms of biodiversity or socioeconomic opportunities.

The problem of fit between social institutions and ecological systems is an enduring challenge in natural resource management and conservation. Developments in the science of conservation biology encourage the management of landscapes at increasingly larger scales. In contrast, sociological approaches to conservation emphasize the importance of ownership, collaboration and stewardship at scales relevant to the individual or local community.

  In the hillsides of Trinidad’s Northern Range, smallholder subsistence farming systems dominate the landscape. Pushed to this frontier by escalating pressure on low-lying agriculture lands from more urban development and a rising population, farmers continue to rely on short-term crops on the steep slopes there.

   Three years ago EDF, fishermen, and critical partners like Noroeste Sustentable (NO

    Agri-environment schemes (AESs) in England typically address environmental management at the farm-and field-scales, but there is increasing evidence that incorporating the landscape-scale would increase scheme effectiveness.

 Natural resource managers are seeking tools to help them address current and future effects of climate change.

Over the last 10 years, there has been a significant increase in private and public sector interest to explore payments for ecosystem services (PES), in order to assign value to ecosystem services, and thus promote better land use practices. We recently investigated how PES schemes are faring in meeting the goals of safeguarding ecosystem services, while also benefiting local livelihoods.

  The 7th annual Yale Conservation Finance Boot Camp will be held at Yale University on Monday, June 17 through Friday, June 21, 2013. This advanced learning opportunity will prepare conservation practitioners and board members, foundation leaders, private investors, and graduate students to utilize innovative conservation finance strategies and to share best practices.