Risk, Uncertainty, and Decision Analysis Applied to the Management of Aquatic Nuisance Species

Abstract

There are a number of potential strategies and approaches for managing aquatic nuisance species (ANS). This technical note will consider how decision-makers and stakeholders can resolve conflicting goals and scientific uncertainties that otherwise impair evaluation and selection of a method to address a specific problem. Value trade-offs exist among multiple objectives and scientific uncertainties about (1) how an ecosystem responds to control of ANS, and (2) the role of ANS in that response. These trade-offs and uncertainties have important implications for distinguishing among alternative management actions; for example, the use of chemical versus biological control agents. A structured approach to decision-making that explicitly considers and addresses the risks and uncertainties within an overall decision analysis framework will provide a systematic process for evaluating how the predicted performance of a management action, and the uncertainties associated with that prediction, affect objectives that stakeholders care about most. Such a framework will aid decision-makers in providing an organizing structure for making decisions that will produce confidence in the resulting decisions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA452385

Entities

People

  • Jongbum Kim
  • Todd S. Bridges

Organizations

  • Engineer Research and Development Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Climate Change
  • Ecosystems
  • Ecotoxicology
  • Environment
  • Environmental Management
  • Environmental Protection
  • Environmental Restoration And Remediation
  • Fish
  • Fisheries
  • Habitats
  • Lake Erie
  • Mathematical Models
  • Natural Resources
  • Probability
  • Probability Distributions
  • Risk
  • Risk Analysis

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Aquatic Ecology
  • Systems Analysis and Design