Adaptive Capacity in Theory and Reality: Implications for Governance in the Great Barrier Reef Region

Abstract

The Great Barrier Reef is an iconic ecosystem that faces multiple threats, including overharvesting, water quality decline and climate change. There is general recognition that these threats occur at multiple scales, and the reef ecosystem therefore requires management at multiple scales. This situation presents a highly complex challenge, as it involves multiple actors who have different objectives and values associated with the GBR. Adaptive capacity, by most definitions and measures, is considered high for this region, but these definitions and measures may have limited utility for managing in reality because they fall short of accounting for the complex dynamics of the region, including how adaptive capacity and its determinants are perceived on the ground. In this chapter, we review theoretical definitions of adaptive capacity and compare these to individual and organizational perceptions of adaptive capacity obtained through interview data from several research efforts. We discuss key messages emerging from this comparison of theoretical and empirical definitions, and potential implications for future governance of the Great Barrier Reef region.