Adaptive governance of large, complex ecosystems – such as the Gippsland Lakes

Michael Spencer; Jason Alexandra

doi:10.1071/RS24003

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Adaptive governance of large, complex ecosystems – such as the Gippsland Lakes

Michael Spencer

^A and Jason Alexandra

^B ^*

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Greenlab, Monash Business School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

^B Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions and the Institute for Water Futures, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: Jason.alexandra@anu.edu.au

Handling Editor: Mike Flattley

Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 136, RS24003 https://doi.org/10.1071/RS24003

Submitted: 4 May 2024 Accepted: 5 July 2024 Published: 30 July 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Royal Society of Victoria. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

The adaptive governance of large complex ecosystems is increasingly recognised as a global challenge. Traditional governance models are proving inadequate given the compounding and cascading pressures that result from combinations of climate, geophysical, landuse and biodiversity changes. It is argued in the literature that institutions become locked-in to ways of thinking and acting in a manner that constrains their ability to adapt to change. In this paper, we outline the profound challenges to traditional research and governance models through an examination of the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria. We further propose that options for more adaptive models are explored through deliberative processes. We argue that governance during periods of rapid change needs to be adaptive and flexible, integrative rather than siloed, responsive, capable of transformative change and inclusive of stakeholder voices.

Keywords: adaptive governance, Anthropocene, climate risk, coastal lakes, reform, systemic risk, transformation.

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