Adaptive Management for Water Resources Project Planning (2004) / Chapter Skim
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3 The Context of Corps Decision Making
3 The Context of Corps Decision Making
Pages 33-51
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From page 33... ...
Additional Corps planning guidance is provided by Corps of Engineers Engineering Circulars (EC) and Engineering Regulations (ER)
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From page 34... ...
. Adaptive management's emphasis on uncertainties, learning, and flexible policies represents a departure from the Corps' traditional planning approaches, and adaptive management principles have only begun to be incorporated into the agency's planning guidance.
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From page 35... ...
The cost of monitoring included in the total project cost and cost shared with the non-Federal spon sor shall not exceed one percent of the total first cost of ecosystem restoration features. For complex specifically authorized projects that have high levels of risk and un certainty of obtaining the proposed outputs, adaptive management may be recommended.
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From page 36... ...
Given the agency's decentralized structure, this is not surprising; furthermore, adaptive management guidance should allow flexibility so that programs can be tailored to local and regional settings. Nevertheless, basic concepts should be consistently employed across Corps projects and throughout the agency, as a lack of consistency of definitions and practices can limit the effectiveness of adaptive management efforts, as well as the ability of the organization to learn from experiences across its district offices.
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From page 37... ...
These offices conduct Corps reconnaissance and feasibility studies for new water resources projects, and they employ the majority of the agency's staff. One advantage of this structure is that district offices may have greater flexibility to pursue innovative efforts and novel actions tailored to local conditions and preferences.
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From page 38... ...
The sections in the Geotechnical and Engineering Sciences Branch most relevant to adaptive management have some geologists and chemists, but apparently no biologists or social scientists. The operations division is divided into project offices that correspond to some of the Missouri River mainstem dams: Big Bend, Fort Peck, Fort Randall, and Garrison.
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From page 39... ...
The Jacksonville district organizational chart reflects the Corps' roles in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program, as branches such as the RECOVER and CERP Management Branches, which have adaptive management-related functions, have been established. Nonetheless, staffing and institutional gaps remain.
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From page 40... ...
Enlisting experts in social and ecological sciences, or commissioning studies in these areas, is of little use if the agency does not have the appropriate capacity to meaningfully incorporate these perspectives and knowledge into the project planning and management cycle. A review of adaptive management efforts and staffing arrangements at three Corps district offices suggests that a broader range of personnel and disciplinary perspectives should be included within all phases of project management in order to implement adaptive management within the agency.
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From page 41... ...
In the late 1970s, for example, President Jimmy Carter attempted to terminate several proposed Bureau of Reclamation and Corps projects, only to inspire a vehement agency and congressional response. More recently, the OMB, responding to instructions from President George W
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From page 42... ...
. In a more recent example from the Upper Mississippi River, the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association noted the problems of multiple mandates and a lack of vision in a 1995 report: The issue is not that the Upper Mississippi River lacks programs, projects, studies, regulatory authorities, and management activities with the potential for ad dressing many of the current problems.
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From page 43... ...
Geological Survey, NOAA Fisheries, and the National Park Service, all of which have different mandates and traditions. Interagency cooperation can be problematic and may constitute an obstacle for adaptive management: "Experimental management planning has floundered in complex institutional settings like the Florida Everglades, Columbia River, and Upper Mississippi River, where management, research, and policy change involve collaboration among several agencies with complicated, overlapping historical responsibilities and legal mandates" (Walters, 1997)
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From page 44... ...
Exceptions to this rule are the "Section 1135" authority from the 1986 Water Resources Development Act, "Section 216" authority from the 1970 Flood Control Act, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP) authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 2000.
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From page 45... ...
Section 216 of the 1970 Flood Control Act authorizes the Corps to review and modify existing operations in response to significantly changed conditions, without seeking additional congressional authorization. Section 1135 of WRDA 1986 (as amended in Public Law 99-662)
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From page 46... ...
Costsharing requirements for Corps of Engineers projects, many of which were specified in the 1986 Water Resources Development Act, may be hindering progress toward adaptive management in at least some locations. In the Upper Mississippi basin, for example, the Corps is in the midst of a feasibility study for the Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway.
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From page 47... ...
WRDA 86 has resulted in local stakeholders -- most importantly, the paying co-sponsor -- taking a greater interest in project design and implementation. Increased stakeholder participation, however, provides both opportunities and limitations with regard to adaptive management.
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From page 48... ...
The Corps recognizes the importance and value of stakeholder participation, and deserves credit for its strong efforts in convening public meetings and other fora to promote stakeholder input. But stakeholder involvement represents challenges, as well.
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From page 49... ...
. The MDBC's views on the importance of stakeholder input are reflected in a comment on the Stakeholder Profiling Study: "It is undeniable that sustainable natural resources management is inextricably linked with the views and attitudes of community stakeholders -- successful natural resource initiatives rely not only on scientific evidence but community awareness, acceptance and involvement" (http://www.mdbc.gov.au/whatson/stake-h.html)
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From page 50... ...
A shift toward adaptive management is consistent with recognizing inevitable changes in the settings and objectives of Corps projects, uncertainties in the outcomes of Corps projects, an increasing pace of social, economic, and scientific changes, and the importance of devising strategies to cope with and benefit from change. In many instances, management and outputs of Corps projects have not reflected changing eco
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From page 51... ...
This need not be the case, however, as adaptive management programs should include periodic reassessment of objectives based on both shifting social priorities and on new environmental and economic information. Clearer advice from the administration and the Congress with regard to water management priorities and direction would be useful in instances in which a line agency like the Corps is unable to duly resolve conflicts or identify preferred alternatives.
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