Introduction
Adaptive management has become the preferred method of natural resource management (NRM) in Australia over the last two decades. Adaptive management is a scientific approach to management and aims to achieve goals and objectives by applying an efficient and effective learn by doing process to address the risks and uncertainties inherent within unpredictable systems like natural ecosystems and socio-economic environments.
A resilience framework was adopted in the review of the Wheatbelt NRM Strategy, to better reflect the complex interactions that exist between socio-economic and environmental systems within the region. A scientific and adaptive approach to management, such as that provided by adaptive management, is necessary when applying a resilience framework to regional NRM. Resilience recognises the complexity of the systems being managed, the interactions that exist between potential multiple management pathways, the high degree of uncertainty inherent in our natural and social systems and the urgency with which we need to respond to current negative trends in resource condition.