ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT FOR CONSERVATION

The Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, in partnership with the Protected Areas Collaboration for Learning & Research and training providers, offers courses that aim to equip conservation professionals with the knowledge, tools and skills required to adaptively manage protected areas and other area-based (land and sea) conservation.

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SCHOLARSHIPS NOTICE

Scholarship applications for these courses are open in November each year. Please visit the Protected Areas Collaboration (PAC) website for more information.


WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT?

Conservation challenges are increasingly urgent and complex. Consequently, conservation practitioners need strong leadership skills and the capacity to rapidly exchange knowledge and apply innovative and creative solutions in highly collaborative environments.  

To assist, new approaches to management, education and capacity building are now seen as the foundation for responding to environmental change.

Training in adaptive management will build skills in shaping solutions and change for individuals, organisations, communities engaged in conservation and systems that support them. Adaptive management calls for implementation of strategies and measures that address the technical aspects of problems, such as data, incentives, and funding and capacity for incremental change in our management systems in response to changing attributes of ecosystems. 

This training aims to build the inclusiveness, openness and reflexivity necessary for change processes, to guide justifiable, appropriate and effective action.

WHO SHOULD underTAKE THIS training

The training is valuable for professional development and tertiary study, and is relevant for people working in government and private sanctuaries, protected area management agencies, Indigenous protected areas (IPAs), environmental organisations that look after land, and community-based conservation practitioners. 

Teamwork will enable sharing of diverse experience and skill levels, regardless of whether they are a senior leader, mid-level manager or field staff. 


ABOUT THE COURSES


COURSE: applying THE CONSERVATION STANDARDS

2022 COURSE DETAILS

  • When: September 12 - 16, 2022

  • Where: Blue Mountains, NSW. Katoomba Venue TBA.

  • What: 5 full days and 4 nights spent in residence in the Blue Mountains. Course materials, accommodation and food included in the course fee.

  • Fee: $2,500. Scholarships available from PAC.

ABOUT THE COURSE

This course aims to give participants an understanding of adaptive management tools through the application of the internationally recognised Conservation Standards.

The course explores the theory and practice of adaptive management using the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area as a case study with approaches that can be applied to a wide range of cultures and situations.

Participants will work in small teams to progress through an adaptive planning, monitoring and management loop, including integrating field-monitoring data into a decision-making framework. Management issues will be explored to reveal underlying problems, to find ways of working with complex and seemingly intractable issues such as climate change.

KEY FEATURES

  • Methods and approaches to collecting, managing, and interpreting data that are necessary to understand dynamic changes.

  • A decision-making framework for monitoring and management that is suitable for varying cultures and situations.

  • Developing capacity to navigate complexity and uncertainty.

  • Challenging our assumptions and identifying non-obvious barriers to change.

  • Team-building and networking including regional and cross-organisational collaboration.

  • Recognising the interdependence of nature and culture.

OUTCOMES

This course addresses the need for highly skilled professionals in protected area and natural resource conservation.

The knowledge and practical skills gained are readily implemented and applicable for use in conservation by governments, non-government, private landholders and Indigenous communities. The adaptive management approach is applicable to conservation projects and property planning at any scale.

By the end of the course, participants will know how to design and implement an ecological monitoring program and integrate the data into a decision-making framework for adaptive management.                                                


COURSE: collaborative &
community-based conservation

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This course is delivered by CCSI Consulting and addresses the growing need for skills of professionals and community leaders to collaborate and work in complex stakeholder environments and with communities to achieve protected area and natural resource conservation. 

Collaboration is vital for conservation and essential for supporting sustainable livelihoods in and around protected areas. Collaboration is a critical aspect of the human dimension of conservation and requires a special set of skills, knowledge and supporting systems as well as a high degree of adaptability to be successful. Effective collaboration demands persistence and strategic leadership to navigate through the inevitable complexity of bio-cultural linkages for a protected area and to negotiate the interests of many stakeholders. 

Conservation is no longer viewed as the pursuit of governments or locking up of areas but is instead seen as a partnership that engages all local interests, values, knowledge and management capacities. Communities commonly undertake roles of stewards, guardians or supporters of conservation areas, and it is essential that government agencies, non-government organisations, local businesses, communities and individuals work together in the development of the conservation program and its design.

COURSE content

This is a practical program to help build the capacity of individuals, organisations and communities through examining new skills and systems that can ensure successful collaborative outcomes.  We will explore the concepts, apply strategic thinking and examine the best tools and practices for collaboration at all levels, with both internal and external stakeholders.

This program begins with the individual - exploring leadership strengths and weaknesses and the benefits of working collectively and engaging with multiple perspectives, values and solutions.

The course covers:

  • The biocultural aspects of conservation and the value proposition necessary for collaborative conservation for each stakeholder.

  • How to address and protect rights of local communities, custodial landholders and Indigenous peoples and optimise their potential as conservation partners and ensure delivery of co-benefits.

  • The collaborative process, as both a business and social venture requiring effective co-design, strong governance, support systems, clear roles and responsibilities for current players and across generations.

  • Building adaptive toolkits for stakeholder engagement, communication and negotiation, power management and the empowerment of all players.

  • Key aspects of social and environmental return on investment, and other measures of progress that are essential to sustaining collaborative relationships and investments. 

KEY FEATURES

  • Exploring leadership strengths and the tools and principles of collective leadership and engaging multiple perspectives in addressing complex problems.     

  • Building teams and networking including regional and cross-organisational collaboration.

  • Challenging biases and prejudices.     

  • Acknowledging and safeguarding human rights, community rights and contributions, marginal groups.

  • Applying tools for stakeholder evaluation and assessment of needs and potential as conservation partners.     

  • Designing communication strategies, stakeholder engagement processes and development of local structures for participation.

  • Developing optional governance arrangements and stepwise plans for co-management of resources.

  • Exploring alternative approaches and design of sustainable livelihood projects.     

  • Developing capacity to navigate uncertainty in collaborative programs and complex stakeholder and community settings.

  • Building organisational systems to support ongoing collaboration. 

  • Designing systems for monitoring progress and impact of collaborative programs.

OUTCOMES

The knowledge and practical skills gained in this course are readily implemented and applicable for use in land management by governments, non-government, private landholders and Indigenous communities. The approach is applicable to conservation projects at any scale and is an opportunity for individuals to take a fresh look at their approach to working in teams with a collective leadership style.  

By the end of the course, participants will have a toolkit for working with other individuals, stakeholder groups, organisations and communities and a strong understanding of the principles of dynamic collaboration. 

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS CURRENTLY NEW DATE FOR DELIVERY OF THIS COURSE BUT WE ARE INVITING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST THROUGH THE LINK BELOW


TESTIMONIALS

Course participants discuss their adaptive management plans with a NSW National Parks & Wildlife service officer

Course participants discuss their adaptive management plans with a NSW National Parks & Wildlife service officer

This is the one adaptive management course you should make time to attend. It will provide you with a clear and logical planning pathway applicable to any management, project or program plan writing task. If like many of us you are operating within an existing planning framework, you will need to allow yourself time afterwards to integrate the best practice provided with your organisations requirements. But the beauty of this course is that the steps outlined are so credible and complete that it’s a straight forward task to identify where and how they should apply in your own world.”  Wil Allen, Team Leader, Planning, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, 2018 course participant.

September 2019 Course Feedback:

“Excellent course – very relevant to my work. Great opportunity to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and experience.”

“This training provides method and hope. Essential for any land manager in any context.”

“I found the course takes you on a journey outside of your comfort zone, but the challenge is all part of adaptive management!  Be brave, its worth it.”

“The training provides you with a pragmatic, logical approach to planning for conservation and adaptive management. It is very hands on and also a great way to meet conservation practitioners from around the world.”

“Going through the full cycle of open standard forced me to really focus on the most important factors/threat in a conservation project. It was also great to see our group gradually forming a feasible strategy for the most challenging target.”

“This model and approach is applicable to contexts beyond conservation. The presenters excel at presenting, demystifying and coaching participants through a pragmatic and highly effective process of building a flexible and lean management planning tool. I encourage participants from across knowledge systems to learn this methodology.”


MORE DETAILS

DURATION + COST

Each course is offered as a 10-day part-time online course, spread over 2-3weeks. Each course has a time commitment of approx. 30 hours.

ONLINE: Flexible - 10 x half days spread over 2 weeks.
COST: $1500 - $1800 + GST.

RESIDENTIAL: Intensive - 5 full days and 4 nights spent in residence.
COST: $2500 + GST.

NEXT AVAILABLE COURSE DATES

Sept 12 - 16, 2022 - Applying the Conservation Standards. Residential 5-day course. Accommodation and food included in course fee.

TBA 2022 - Collaborative and Community-Based Conservation

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships are available through PAC. Scholarship rounds open in October / November and close in November /December each year. Please visit the PAC website for more information and to apply.

The Protected Areas Collaboration for Learning and Research is a tertiary and vocational education and research initiative dedicated to natural and cultural heritage protection, stewardship and conservation management and capacity development for Australia, Asia, and the Pacific.

The Collaboration benefits professionals and community-based conservation practitioners working on protected areas and other area-based conservation activities.


ENQUIRIES

Please email education@bmwhi.org.au