Assessing the Adaptive Capacity of Collaboratively Managed Rangelands: A Test of the Concept and Comparison of 3 Rangeland CBCs

The aim of this project was to develop a conceptual framework and analysis tools to assess the adaptive capacity of community-based collaborative groups (CBCs), to test these tools by applying them to three rangeland collaboratives, and to identify factors that contribute to the adaptive capacity of CBCs. We developed a conceptual framework for assessing the adaptive capacity of CBCs and used this framework to guide development and implementation of a quantitative survey to assess the adaptive capacity of three rangeland CBCs, the Malpai Borderlands Group, the Diablo Trust, and the Northwest Colorado Stewardship. We also constructed in-depth qualitative case studies of each group’s adaptive learning process following our framework. Eight factors that affect adaptive capacity were identified: a holistic approach that embraces complexity, commitment to learning and monitoring, vertical vs. horizontal decision-making structures, financial and other resources, trust, bureaucracy, linkages with and awareness of the broader social-ecological context of the CBC, and finding the appropriate social and ecological scale. This report concludes with eight recommendations for enhancing the adaptive capacity of CBCs.