Measurement,Learning,and Adaptation in Planning and Implementing Voluntary Nonpoint Source Watershed Programs

This article outlines issues of planning and adaptation for watershed management programs by overlapping three broad bodies of literature: a) social psychology; b) performance management; and c) watershed planning and management. Our specific interest lies within the intersection areas: (ac) individual and socio-economic influences on the adoption of conservation practices; (ab) data utilization by managers; (bc) evaluation and performance measurement of watershed projects; and (abc) learning and adaptation in watershed planning and management. Literature within these intersections suggests several implications: values and individual perceptions are an important basis for environmental decision making; intermediate metrics are needed; metrics can be misleading; data are created but not used; and performance management and evaluation are conflated. More research is needed on adaptive capacity and effectiveness for non-regulatory approaches to environmental management. Research and practice would benefit by recognizing behavior change and environmental change as two discreet areas of learning and adaptation.