Adaptive Management (AM)

Adaptive Management is a structured management approach for addressing uncertainties by testing hypotheses,  linking science to decision making, and adjusting implementation, as necessary, to improve the probability of restoration success. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is being planned, implemented, assessed and refined using the principles of adaptive management. Founded on science, adaptive management provides an efficient process to address risk and uncertainty inherent within ecosystem restoration by encouraging flexible plans and designs. This helps account for uncertainty by providing options for adjustment given actual future conditions to help achieve restoration goals and objectives.  Guidance interpreting Section 2039 of WRDA 2007 (PDF) requires that adaptive management plans be developed for all ecosystem restoration projects.


RECOVER and CERP staff have created two documents to guide the CERP Adaptive Management Program: (1) the CERP Adaptive Management Strategy and (2) the CERP Adaptive Management Integration Guide.

(1) The CERP Adaptive Management Strategy provides a high-level framework for the application of adaptive management to Everglades restoration. The CERP Adaptive Management Strategy outlines a process for gaining better understanding of the south Florida ecosystem and incorporating new scientific and technical information to improve the Plan.


(2) The CERP Adaptive Management Integration Guide (Guide) was designed to help CERP project teams, managers, scientists, and other stakeholders understand and integrate adaptive management to make sound, collaborative decisions. The Guide is designed to be a more detailed companion document to the Adaptive Management Strategy. The Guide describes how to apply adaptive management to the CERP program and its related projects by identifying key uncertainties and incorporating adaptive management activities into existing CERP planning and implementation processes.


In addition, CERP Guidance Memorandum 56: Guidance for Integration of Adaptive Management into CERP Program and Project Management provides detailed steps for integrating adaptive management activities into project implementation reports.

Related Links:

  • 2010 Shared Definition of Everglades Restoration
    The goal of the Shared Definition effort is to better define the functional attributes of a restored ecosystem, through an adaptive management process, in order to provide enhanced information for planning, implementation and operation of restoration projects.

Archived Adaptive Management Documents:

For additional information regarding the CERP Adaptive Management Program, please contact:

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