Adaptive management of a sustainable wildlife enterprise trial in Australia's barrier ranges

Abstract

This project is an example of a participatory research activity that set out, from the outset, to apply adaptive management principles for both improved resource management and enhanced project management. As a result, the entire project exemplifies the application of adaptive management: a complex system with multiple parts where initial interventions are continuously evaluated to determine the next steps in the process. There are multiple actors and theatres of the project, each of which needs to progress before others can progress, and the results of one impacts on the progress of another. A key component of the project is a trial under the adaptive management provisions of the New South Wales Government's Kangaroo Management Program, so it also provides insights on the practical implications of conducting research to meet an institutional requirement for adaptive management.