Embracing panarchy, building resilience and integrating adaptive management through a rebirth of the National Environmental Policy Act

Benson, Melinda Harm; Garmestani, Ahjond S.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.10.011

Cited by 86 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Adaptive management is unlikely to be effective without legal reform, and without adaptive management, environmental governance is unlikely to succeed (see Ruhl 2005). For example, if the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) were to be reconfigured to integrate adaptive management and account for resilience, several specific reforms are necessary (see Benson and Garmestani 2011b). This model shifts NEPA's process from a linear model to an iterative process better suited to dynamic systems.…”

Section: Adaptive Management and Adaptive Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for Resilience-based Governance of Social-Ecological Systems

Garmestani¹,

Benson²

2013

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Panarchy provides a heuristic to characterize the cross-scale dynamics of social-ecological systems and a framework for how governance institutions should behave to be compatible with the ecosystems they manage. Managing for resilience will likely require reform of law to account for the dynamics of social-ecological systems and achieve a substantive mandate that accommodates the need for adaptation. In this paper, we suggest expansive legal reform by identifying the principles of reflexive law as a possible mechanism for achieving a shift to resilience-based governance and leveraging cross-scale dynamics to provide resilience-based responses to increasingly challenging environmental conditions.

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Section: Adaptive Management and Adaptive Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for Resilience-based Governance of Social-Ecological Systems

Garmestani¹,

Benson²

2013

E&S

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222

150

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“…Hermans and Knippenberg (2006) also used resilience (and justice) as a key principle with which to evaluate sustainability assessment, while the potential of resilience thinking to contribute to strategic environmental assessment has also received attention (for example, Benson and Garmestani, 2011;Slootweg and Jones, 2011;Larsen et al, 2013).…”

Section: Resilience and Post-normal Science In Impact Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing uncertainty, ambiguity and ignorance in impact assessment by embedding evolutionary resilience, participatory modelling and adaptive management

Bond

Morrison‐Saunders

Gunn

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Management

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In the context of continuing uncertainty, ambiguity and ignorance in impact assessment (IA) prediction, the case is made that existing IA processes are based on false 'normal' assumptions that science can solve problems and transfer knowledge into policy. Instead, a 'post-normal science' approach is needed that acknowledges the limits of current levels of scientific understanding. We argue that this can be achieved through embedding evolutionary resilience into IA; using participatory workshops; and emphasizing adaptive management. The goal is an IA process capable of informing policy choices in the face of uncertain influences acting on socio-ecological systems. We propose a specific set of process steps to operationalise this post-normal science approach which draws on work undertaken by the Resilience Alliance. This process differs significantly from current models of IA, as it has a far greater focus on avoidance of, or adaptation to (through incorporating adaptive management subsequent to decisions), unwanted future scenarios rather than a focus on the identification of the implications of a single preferred vision. Implementing such a process * corresponding author 2 would represent a culture change in IA practice as a lack of knowledge is assumed and explicit, and forms the basis of future planning activity, rather than being ignored.

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“…This current legal framework is based upon an understanding of ecological systems operating near an equilibrium, or if disturbed, moving back toward an equilibrium. Such assumptions make much current environmental law ill-suited for many pressing environmental issues (Ruhl 1999;Garmestani et al 2009;Craig 2010;Verchick 2010;Benson and Garmestani 2011). Emerging environmental challenges, such as cross-boundary water governance or climate change, are not easily addressed within the current legal framework, because although the problems may be easily identified, the solutions require frequent recalibration of the policy used to manage the environmental issue.…”

Section: Ahjond S Garmestani Craig R Allen Craig Anthony (Tony) Amentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Observers from nearly every discipline and ideological perspective have recognized the glaring, urgent need for U.S. law to improve its adaptive capacity and role in supporting the resilience of both social and ecological systems (Thompson 2000;Driesen 2003;Garmestani et al 2009;Zellmer and Gunderson 2009;Craig 2010;Miller 2010;Benson and Garmestani 2011;Ruhl2011;van Rijswick and Salet 2012). The maladaptive nature of law can allow, facilitate, or even mandate pathological choices and behaviors with respect to ecosystems.…”

Section: Ahjond S Garmestani Craig R Allen Craig Anthony (Tony) Amentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By attempting to stem the inevitable process of creative destruction, humans have created the conditions for change that has the capacity to far exceed the scale (spatial and temporal) of the naturally occurring pulses of change (Odum 2007). This presents great challenges for environmental governance as we attempt to manage environmental problems within the context of an outdated legal framework, because ecosystems are not readily managed with cookie-cutter, front-end management proscriptions (Benson and Garmestani 2011). This obviously presents problems from the legal perspective, and one of the ways in which this conflict can be resolved is through application of adaptive management to ecosystem management.…”

Section: Ahjond S Garmestani Craig R Allen Craig Anthony (Tony) Amentioning

confidence: 99%

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