Common use of Adaptive Management Clause in Contracts

Adaptive Management. Adaptive Management allows for mutually agreed-upon changes to the Agreement’s conservation measures in response to changing conditions or new information. If the expected results of the conservation measures appear ineffective, management activities can be changed or alternative activities undertaken to achieve desired results. Decisions related to adaptive management will be based on an evaluation of compliance and biological monitoring results detailed in the annual reports, and of field observations by the Cooperators and Parties. The NWDPS team may also be asked to review reports and field observations and determine whether the management actions and/or conservation measures are adequate. Adaptive management decisions may be made at any time as deemed necessary by the Parties, however, a major evaluation of this Agreement will be implemented every fifth year to ensure that conservation goals are being achieved. Conservation measures will be evaluated to determine whether they result in increased protection of LCT i.e. reduced incidental take and/or improved conditions for LCT. The evaluation will include an assessment of incidental take on individual enrolled properties to determine if take can be prevented or reduced through modifications to management actions and/or conservation measures on aquatic habitats or adjacent lands. If management actions or conservation measures need to be altered to improve benefits for the species, this will be done by amending future Cooperative Agreements, not by altering the responsibilities of existing Cooperators. However, if existing Cooperators agree to alter their Cooperative Agreements, modifications of their responsibilities will be addressed on a case-by- case basis. Strategies to reduce incidental take, if necessary, will be reviewed with individual Cooperators and implemented where appropriate on a voluntary basis.

Adaptive Management. Adaptive Management allows for mutually agreed-upon changes to the Agreement’s conservation measures in response to changing conditions or new information. If the expected results of the conservation measures appear ineffective, management activities can be changed or alternative activities undertaken to achieve desired results. Decisions related to adaptive management will be based on an evaluation of compliance and biological monitoring results detailed in the annual reports, and of field observations by the Cooperators and Parties. The NWDPS team may also be asked to review reports and field observations and determine whether the management actions and/or conservation measures are adequate. Adaptive management decisions may be made at any time as deemed necessary by the Parties, however, a major evaluation of this Agreement will be implemented every fifth year to ensure that conservation goals are being achieved. Conservation measures will be evaluated to determine whether they result in increased the protection of LCT LCT, i.e. reduced incidental take and/or improved conditions for LCTtake. The evaluation will include an assessment of incidental take on individual enrolled properties to determine if take can be prevented or reduced through modifications to management actions and/or conservation measures on aquatic habitats or adjacent lands. If management actions or conservation measures need to be altered to improve benefits for the species, this will be done by amending future Cooperative Agreements, not by altering the responsibilities of existing Cooperators. However, if existing Cooperators agree to alter their Cooperative Agreements, modifications of their responsibilities will be addressed on a case-by- case basis. Strategies to reduce incidental take, if necessary, will be reviewed with individual Cooperators and implemented where appropriate on a voluntary basis.