Making adaptive management more user friendly to encourage manager buy‐in. Issue 2 (31st January 2023) - Kuiper, Timothy; Ngwenya, Nobesuthu; Kavhu, Blessing; Mandisodza‐Chikerema, Roseline; Milner‐Gulland, Eleanor Jane
Abstract: Adaptive management, whereby monitoring is used to evaluate management interventions with uncertain outcomes, is theoretically well‐developed but poorly implemented. Previous work has identified several reasons for this, but there has been little direct investigation into the perceptions of on‐the‐ground managers (those ultimately responsible for adopting adaptive management). We conducted interviews with nine protected area managers in the Mana–Sapi–Chewore World Heritage Site in Zimbabwe to understand their perspectives on, and extent of adoption of, adaptive management. We focused on how managers use ranger‐collected data on elephant poaching to inform their anti‐poaching strategies. To better understand drivers of adoption, we also interviewed 18 key informants either working with these managers or familiar with their work. We found that while managers used ranger‐collected to guide patrol deployments, data use was basic, short term and reactive. We found little evidence of managers systematically analysing and learning from trends in data to inform anti‐poaching. Lack of buy‐in and ownership was a significant barrier to adoption of data‐based adaptive management. Managers did not see how the approach would help their work, felt that the costs of adoption outweighed the benefits, and were resistant to change from management based on intuition and experience (which they saw as more familiar and dependable). We find strong parallels between drivers of adoption in our study and prominent theories of what affects technology and innovation adoption within organisations more generally. Looking beyond our case study, we contend that the 'human' dimension of adaptive management (manager buy‐in and organisational culture) has been under‐emphasised compared to technical fixes (like providing more resources and training). Our results highlight the difficulties of implementing adaptive management, rather than critiquing the concept itself. Finally, we generalise our findings to develop a theory of change to promote greater manager buy‐in to adaptive management, drawing on principles from human‐centred design to ensure that solutions are sensitive to the priorities and decision‐making context of protected area managers. Abstract : Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Pfupiso: Hutungamiri hunekunhadzurudza, uhwo hunoshandiswa kuongorora kupindira kwehutungamiriri husina mhedzisiro inoziikanwa, hwakagadziridzwa zvine hungwaru asi husina kunyatsoshandiswa zvizere. Basa rekare rakaratidza zvikonzero zvakawanda zvine chekuita neizvi, asi paive neongororo shoma yakananga pamusoro pezvinofungwa nevatungamiri vari pabasa (avo vane basa rekutungamiri zvine nhadzurudzo). Takaita nhaurirano nevatungamiri vapfumbamwe venzvimbo dzakachengetedzwa mu Mana‐Sapi‐Chewore World Heritage Site muZimbabwe kuti tinzwisise maonero avo, uye maonero avo kuburikidza kushandiswa kwehutungamiri hunekunhadzurudza. Isu takatarisa mashandisirwo anoitwa humbowo hwakaunganidzwa kuburikidza pamusoro pekuvhimwa kwenzou zvisiri pamutemo pamwe nekuzivisa nzira dzekurwisa kuvhima zvisiri pamutemo. Kuti tinzwisise zvizere pamusoro pekushandiswa kwedonzvo rehutungamiri hunekunhadziriridza, takabvunzurudza vazivisi vakuru gumi nevasere vanoshanda nevatungamiri ava pamwe neavo vaneruzivo pamusoro pebasa ravo. Takaona kuti nepo vatungamiri vaishandisa humbowo hwakaunganidzwa nevanofamba vachiona zvekuchengetedzwa kwemhuka senzira yekuratidza kwavanofanira kufamba. Takaona asi kuti kushandiswa kwehumbowo uhwu kwaive kusina hudzamu, kurikwenguva pfupi, uye zvechimbi chimbi. Takawana zvekare humbowo hushoma hunoratidza kuti vakuru vanoita ongorora, uye kudzidza kubva kuhumbowo uhu senzira yekudzivirira kuvhimwa kwemhuka zvisiri pamutemo. Kusandiswa zvizere kwehumbowo uhu kwakaratidza kuve chimwe chezvimhingamupingamupinyi zvakakosha pakusashandiswa kwehutungamiri hune kunhadzurudza. Vatungamiri vakaratidza kusaona zvizere kuti donzvo rehutungamiri hunekunhadzurudza raizobatsira sei pabasa ravo. Vazhinji vakaratidza kufunga kuti mutengo wekudzidza muhumbowo kuti vaite nhadzurudzo hwakakura zvikuru kudarika shanduko inozouya nenhandzurudzo yacho. Vazhinji vakaratidza kusatambira shanduko ine chekuita nekusiya nzira yavo yekutungamira yavakabva nayo kumashure iyo yavakati inobva mururuzivo rwavo rwekushanda munharaunda dzavo kwemakore mazhinji. Isu tinowana kufambirana kwakasimba pakati pezvikonzero zvakanangana neruzivo rwatakawana mutsvakiridzo yedu nedzidziso dzakatanhamara dzakaitwa kuburikidza kushandiswa kwemichina yemazuvano mumasangano akawanda. Tichitarisa kunze kweongororo yedu, tinosimbisa kuti donzvo rehutungamiri hunekunhadzurudza harina kubvira rakapuhwa ongororo izere zvikurusei takatarisa maonero evanhu kana tichienzanisa nedzimwe ongororo dzinechekuita nekupiwa kwezvikwanisiro kana dzidziso yezvinodiwa pabasa. Ongororo yedu inoratidza kuoma kwakaita kushandiswa kwedonzvo rehutungamiri hunenhandzurudzo zvichipikisa pfungwa yekuti pada ruzhinji runoshoropodza pfungwa iyi. Chekupedzisira, takashandisa zvatikawana kuti tigadzirise pfungwa inokurudzira kushandiswa kwe donzvo rehutungamiri hune kunhadzurudza munharaunda dzakachengetedzwa. Kuti tiite izvi tashandisa ruzivo runobva mumafungiro akanaka evanhu kuti tive nechokwadi chokuti mhinduro dzedu dzinokosheswa pakuita sarudzo dzekutungamira munzvimbo dzakachengetedzwa.