Adaptive Management

McCloud, Calif. -

Dear Editor,

In Nestle’s science meeting on June 2, Nestle’s natural resource director Brendan O’Rourke said, “I think we have different ideas about what adaptive management means.”

This is concerning.

The preliminary scientific studies being conducted are important for establishing thresholds of impact, but adaptive management is a long term iterative process that addresses the uncertainty inherent in complex ecosystems.
New data and new understanding often requires a change in behavior in regards to the use of a resource — water in McCloud’s case.