TY - JOUR
T1 - More is not always better: Coping with ambiguity in natural resources management
AU - Brugnach, M.
AU - Dewulf, A.
AU - Henriksen, H.J.
AU - van der Keur, P.
N1 - Funding Information:
The research for this article was executed as part of the NeWater project (Contract no 511179, 6th EU Framework Programme). The authors would like to thank the European Commission for their financial support and the NeWater consortium members for their generous collaboration. They also would like to thank the constructive comments of two anonymous reviewers.
PY - 2011/1
Y1 - 2011/1
N2 - Coping with ambiguities in natural resources management has become unavoidable. Ambiguity is a distinct type of uncertainty that results from the simultaneous presence of multiple valid, and sometimes conflicting, ways of framing a problem. As such, it reflects discrepancies in meanings and interpretations. Under the presence of ambiguity it is not clear what problem is to be solved, who should be involved in the decision processes or what is an appropriate course of action. Despite the extensive literature about methodologies and tools to deal with uncertainty, not much has been said about how to handle ambiguities. In this paper, we discuss the notions of framing and ambiguity, and we identify five broad strategies to handle it: rational problem solving, persuasion, dialogical learning, negotiation and opposition. We compare these approaches in terms of their assumptions, mechanisms and outcomes and illustrate each approach with a number of concrete methods.
AB - Coping with ambiguities in natural resources management has become unavoidable. Ambiguity is a distinct type of uncertainty that results from the simultaneous presence of multiple valid, and sometimes conflicting, ways of framing a problem. As such, it reflects discrepancies in meanings and interpretations. Under the presence of ambiguity it is not clear what problem is to be solved, who should be involved in the decision processes or what is an appropriate course of action. Despite the extensive literature about methodologies and tools to deal with uncertainty, not much has been said about how to handle ambiguities. In this paper, we discuss the notions of framing and ambiguity, and we identify five broad strategies to handle it: rational problem solving, persuasion, dialogical learning, negotiation and opposition. We compare these approaches in terms of their assumptions, mechanisms and outcomes and illustrate each approach with a number of concrete methods.
KW - Adaptive management
KW - Ambiguity
KW - Collective decision making
KW - Framing
KW - Integrated natural resources management
KW - Multiple knowledge frames
KW - Uncertainty
KW - Water management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77957772375&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.08.029
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.08.029
M3 - Article
SN - 0301-4797
VL - 92
SP - 78
EP - 84
JO - Journal of Environmental Management
JF - Journal of Environmental Management
IS - 1
ER -