ABSTRACT
The management of the pastoral high country of New Zealand's South Island has reached a turning point. This chapter presents a case for recasting existing institutional arrangements and policy processes so that the implications of uncertainty are given greater prominence in the development of policies for the sustainable management of the high country. It begins by describing the major biophysical, social, and institutional influences shaping the high country since its settlement by humans. This 'contextualization' of the sustainability problem sets the scene for discussion of the implications of uncertainty for sustainable management and the policy adjustments we believe necessary to better promote the sustainable management of the high country. The generally well developed and robust theories available to applied science practitioners are largely absent in research related to environmental policy. Policy analysts and decision makers have few metatheories to guide practice. There are many potential approaches to managing uncertainty in the context of sustainability.
