ID: 2216
Presenting Author: Vilma Gayoso-Haro
Session: 676 - Public Trust and Social Impact Assessment: Lessons learned from major projects
Status: pending
Drawing on practical examples, the paper discusses how community-based monitoring and adaptive management can be implemented to evolve into a unifying tool that strengthens community trust.
Monitoring and adaptive management are widely promoted as essential frameworks for addressing the complexities and uncertainties inherent in environmental and social impact assessments. Despite their strong theoretical appeal, practical implementation remains challenging. A key limitation lies in the absence of measurable and meaningful indicators and community-based tools, which undermines community trust and reduces the credibility of management frameworks. Moreover, although adaptive management is frequently discussed in impact assessments, it is often misunderstood, with persistent confusion about its principles and practice.
This paper explores the critical role of monitoring and evaluation in supporting adaptive management and identifies key tools and approaches that can enhance effective implementation. It highlights the need for identifying indicators that balance positive and negative outcomes across different values and interests. Drawing on practical examples, the paper discusses what has worked and what has not in implementing adaptive management. It emphasizes the importance of clear problem definition, a focus on relevant outcomes identified in collaboration with affected communities, the use of community-based tools and the focus on decision-useful data. By integrating learning into action and maintaining a shared understanding through continuous monitoring, an adaptive management framework can evolve into a unifying tool that strengthens both community trust and credibility over time.
Vilma is a Principal Socio-Economic Specialist with over 20 years of experience in socio-economic analysis, business advisory and environmental assessments in Canada and internationally
Coauthor 1: Vilma Gayoso-Haro
Coauthor 2: Lauren Stahl