ASSESSMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY TO
MANAGE ELK ACROSS A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
Childress, Amber N., Ojima, Dennis S., Baron, Jill S., and Galvin, Kathleen
Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
INTRODUCTION
In a world with evolving ecosystems and shifting natural resources that
transcend land management boundaries, attention has been drawn to the need
to manage resources at their ecological scales, often requiring coordination of
multiple institutions (Hessl 2002, Folke et al. 2007). However, development and
implementation of appropriate resource management requires and
understanding of the institutions make land management decisions (Chapin et
al. 2009). To this end, a case study on elk management strategies in the Rocky
Mountain National Park (RMNP) region is being conducted to determine how
each institution (eg Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Parks and Wildlife,
U.S. Forest Service, Town of Estes Park, etc.) manages elk and opportunities
that exist for future collaboration.
Figure 1: Winter (blue) and summer (red) concentrations of elk populations in the RMNP area.
(Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2011)
Figure 2: Information need to
sustainable manage elk. While
much is known about 1-3, this
study will focus on 4 (adapted
from Jill Baron diagram).
A CASE STUDY
METHODS
The elk population has significant influence on the ecosystem in the RMNP
region (Johnson and Monello 2001). Elk move throughout the whole region
(See Figure 1), and consequently management of elk and their habitat require
collaboration of multiple land management agencies with many different roles
and responsibilities (e.g. sustainability of elk viewing and tourism, changes in
plant communities, managing human-elk conflicts, etc.). Scientific research has
studied much of what is necessary for managing elk, and their habitat across
this landscape (see Figure 2). To better understand socio-economic interests, it
would be helpful to better understand the range of strategies, scientific
knowledge, and effectiveness of communication across and within institutions.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Colorado State
University are collaborating on a study to assess the capacity of institutions to
manage elk across a changing landscape.
The study will help determine if there is:
A common understanding of elk management
strategies, actions and goals, and how they fit across
agencies;
A common view of regional elk populations and their
ecological role; and
An accurate view of available science.
The study will involve a literature review of current management plans, followed
by interviews of scientists and resource managers to understand the state of
scientific knowledge and how elk management fits into goals of each institution.
A qualitative evaluation will determine the capacity for inter-jurisdictional elk
management through the assessment of 1) institutional resource management
objectives, 2) capacity of institutions to adapt management plans in response to
shifts in elk migration, and 3) perceptions of scientific knowledge needed for
managing elk (See Figure 3). Questions will be asked of individuals of their
personal opinions and perceptions of their own institutions and others.
Institutional
capacity to
manage elk
Factors explaining
variation in
institutional capacity
4.
References:
Chapin, F. S., G. P. Kofinas, and C. Folke. 2009. Principles of Ecosystem Stewardship: ResilienceBased Natural Resource Management in a Changing World. Pages 1–337 (C. Folke, G. P.
Kofinas, and F. S. Chapin, Eds.). . Springer New York, New York, NY.
Folke, C., L. Pritchard, F. Berkes, J. Colding, and U. Svedin. 2007. The Problem of Fit between
Ecosystems and Institutions : Ten Years Later. Ecology and Society 12.
Hessl, A. 2002. Hessl_2002_Aspen Elk and Fire.pdf. BioScience 52:1011–1022.
Individual position objectives
Institutional objectives
Management goals and
priorities (elk / habitat)
Perspectives of how others
view elk populations and
management and alignment
Scientific
Knowledge
Adaptive
Capacity
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
A meeting will be held in February 2013 to determine next steps and useful
research projects for a cohesive long-term management plan. Findings will serve
as background information for the meeting by highlighting opportunities and
potential points of collaboration between institutions.
1.
2.
3.
Process for developing
management plans
Flexibility to amend
management plans in
response to changing
conditions
Extent to which institution /
jurisdiction is affected by elk
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ideal elk population size
Ecological factors controlling
elk population size
Effects of elk on habitat
Scientific knowledge necessary
to effectively manage elk to
attain institutional goals
Changes in elk population
Figure 3: Process for evaluation how institutions throughout the region manage elk: The factors (circles) are the independent
variables that explain variance of land management agencies’ strategies and ability to manage elk and their habitat. Interviews
of individuals at each institution will be conducted and analysis of the elements impacting the factors (white boxes) will
demonstrate the range both within and across institutions.
Elements considered
in assessment of
above factors