Restoring Lands - Coordinating Science, Politics and Action

In the late 19th century, the Progressive Era laid the foundations for "scientific management" of lands and natural resources. Yet scientific management, often lauded in concept, is elusive. Land and resource management occurs in a social, economic, and political context in which different values, priorities, and interests influence goals, funding, and management choices. Complexities and uncertainties abound. At least three decades ago, critics of these decision processes began arguing that the complexities of managing natural systems required an interdisciplinary approach. Most books on scientific and political management of natural resources and lands are either theoretical academic tomes, a compendium of case studies, or handbooks. Despite this vast literature, land managers struggle to effectively restore and sustain lands amid conflict, controversy, and sometimes weak application of science to decisions. Though some notable conservation successes exist, in many places land health continues to deteriorate through mismanagement, neglect, and land transformation for development, agriculture, energy production, and other uses. This book examines decision making processes, the intersection of science and policy, and practical examples of how, where, and why successful conservation, restoration, and land management are occurring. The text consists of three sections Science, Technology, and Engineering; Politics and Policy; and People and Action. The Introduction lays out the premise of the book (harmonizing science, politics, and people to take action to restore and sustains lands given the complications of governance and climate change) and puts each chapter in context. The Synthesis is the linchpin chapter. It synthesizes the concepts put forth in each chapter into a plan of action to restore and sustain lands. It makes recommendations how this plan can be tested through action research. The plan will be dynamic; that is it will be designed to adapt to changing circumstances so that action can be taken quickly.

Acknowledgements.- Preface.- Introduction: Chapter 1 Restoring and Sustaining Landsa¿''Coordinating Science, Politics, and Communities for Action, by  Karl, Scarlett, Vargas-Moreno, and Flaxman.- Section Onea¿''Science, Technology, and Engineering (Tools and Methods):  Chapter 2 Section Introduction, by  Flaxman and Vargas-Moreno.- Chapter 3: Participatory Climate Change Scenario and Simulation Modeling: Exploring Future Conservation Challenges in the Greater Everglades Landscape, by Vargas-Moreno and Flaxman.- Chapter 4 Using "Spatial Resilience Planning" to Test Climate-Adaptive Conservation Strategies, by  Flaxman and Vargas-Moreno.- Chapter 5: Cities and Integrated Water Planning: Complexities of Climate Change, by Kirshen and others.- Chapter 6 Collaborative Modeling: Institutional Complexities, by Barreteau and others; Chapter 7 Challenge of Integrating Natural and Social Sciences to Better Inform Decisions: A Novel Proposal Review Process, by Matso.- Section Twoa¿''Politics and Policy (Governance and Frameworks): Chapter 8 Section Introduction, by Scarlett; Chapter 9 Transcending Boundaries: The Emergence of Conservation Networks, by  Scarlett.- Chapter 10 Managing the Science-Policy Interface in a Complex and Contentious World, by Beratan and Karl.- Chapter 11 Deliberative Democratic Governance to Foster Sustainability, by Merad.- Chapter 12 Values in Natural Resource Management and Policy, by Mattson and others.- Chapter 13 Flow in the Everglades: The Game Inside the Game, by Light.- Chapter 14 Framing an Uncertain Climate: Adaptation and Water Management Practice in the Netherlands, by Hogendorn, Laws, and Petersen.- Chapter 15 Adapting to Changing Climate: Exploring the Role of the Neighborhood, by Karl and others.- Section Threea¿''People and Action (Implementation and Stewardship): Chapter 16 Section Introduction, by Karl.- Chapter 17 Community-based Ecological Stewardship­a¿''A Concept for Productive Harmony on the Public Lands of the Western United States, by McVicker.- Chapter 18 Thoughts on How to Implement Citizen Based Ecosystem Stewardship from 32 Years in Governance, by Whitley.- Chapter 19 Climate Change and the Language of Geographic Place, by Kent and Preister.- Chapter 20 Tomales Bay Watershed Council: Model of Collective Action, by Pileggi and others.- Chapter 21 Outcomes of social-ecological experiments in near-shore marine environments: cognitive interpretation of the impact of changes in fishing gear type on ecosystem form and function, by Curtin and Hammitt.- Synthesis: Chapter 22 Synthesis: Developing the institutions to coordinate science, politics, and communities for action to restore and sustain lands, by Karl, Scarlett, Vargas-Moreno, Flaxman.