Flexibility and Adaptive Management

Out of the 13 important criteria outlined in our reading, I found the chapter on flexibility to be especially interesting. After doing some research, it seems that adaptive governance has become a new "trend." I feel like adaptive management, as seen in the assertion of Native American water rights on complex water systems, can be a great model for growing concerns surrounding climate change.

Flexibility accounts for significant, or unexpected, changes, such as drought, government alterations, or environmental phenomena, that have the potential to significantly alter the management needed for a particular system. Our reading outlines the need for flexibility in settlements for resource management, as unexpected changes can result in different resources needed by a particular society. Climate change requires equal flexible management as society is forced to act on its effects. Government innovations, and adaptive governance, can be modeled on the resource management involved in water settlements to serve growing environmental concerns. This seems to be a trend that has the potential to successfully seep into numerous aspects of our society.