Learning from the past, planning for the future: experience-driven insights into management, climate adaptation, and fire adaptation on the Colorado plateau

Vaughn, Anna Lynn (2023) Learning from the past, planning for the future: experience-driven insights into management, climate adaptation, and fire adaptation on the Colorado plateau. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Current adaptation strategies utilized by federal, state, and local land management agencies face a great deal of challenges. Ecosystems have and will continue to undergo transformations due to ecological stressors. Natural resource managers have experienced varying degrees of wildfire and drought intensification. Findings from interviews conducted with over 37 natural resource managers from federal, state, and local agencies across the Colorado Plateau of the Western U.S. are discussed and analyzed. Primary takeaways from these interviews include discussions with respondents related to ecological stressors, ecosystem response, strategies and decision-making related to drought and wildfire, primary barriers and limitations, perceptions surrounding adaptation, facilitation and implementation of adaptation, and identification of needs to support effective adaptive management. Results from a survey of managers and decision-makers across the Southwest based on the insights and perspectives gathered in interviews are discussed. Several key findings include: 86% of participants citing lack of resources as the primary limiting factor for effective management, 89% of participants reporting that disturbances are happening at scales and timeframes outside of what managers perceive as “normal,” and that 63% of participants found that ecosystems have been substantially or completely stressed by ecological changes including drought, wildfire, and/or climate change impacts. This study concludes that for adaptation to be an effective management practice, there needs to be greater consensus among managers surrounding the meaning and application of the term. Key Words: climate adaptation, ecosystem stress and transformation, drought, wildfire, climate change, resilience, wilderness, southwest, public lands, natural resource management

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	adaptation; climate change; Colorado Plateau; drought; political ecology; wildfire
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Geography, Planning and Recreation
Date Deposited:	22 Oct 2025 21:24
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2025 21:24
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6226

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