Construction of a social-ecological framework of elk management in Northern Colorado to understand landscape-scale resource management

Background/Question/Methods

When developing strategies to manage natural resources, it is important that they are managed at the appropriate scale, particularly those that are mobile or cover and extensive area. This is complicated when there is a patchwork of institutions managing the resources.  A complete understanding of the ecological and social systems and processes the drive change in the systems facilitates development of optimal management strategies.  However, management research focuses primarily on ecological properties, largely ignoring social properties.  Our goal is to understand how natural resources are managed at a landscape scale when there is fragmentation of the land management institutions.  To answer this question, our research utilizes a qualitative case study approach to analyze elk management in Northern Colorado.  Through this case study, we hope to build a framework which will address: 1) What are the important elements of the social-ecological system; 2) How do they interact with one another; 3) What specific ecological aspects do institutions mange for and how are they tied to social properties; and 4) Are there particular social properties that make institutions better suited to particular types of management? Testing the framework was accomplished through a semi-structured interview process with key land managers and scientists at institutions throughout the region. 

Results/Conclusions

The resulting framework determines the key social properties that determine how each institution manages elk and they drive attributes of the herd that are being managed.  Examination of relationships between these social properties and ecological aspects leads us to conclude that agency mandates and goals are the primary determinant for management and different organizational structures are better suited for managing different ecosystem components.  This information is useful as resource managers in Northern Colorado work together to adapt current elk management plans to ecosystem changes.  Additionally, it provides lessons that extend beyond elk management and enables collaboration for managing other resources.