ABSTRACT
In his influential book on pursuing sustainable development, Kai Lee revisited the science of adaptive management, explaining the approach using the metaphor of "a compass: a way to gauge directions when sailing beyond the maps". For Lee, the science of adaptive management would provide a means of reducing critical uncertainties in the pursuit of sustainable development. According to Noble, "Although adaptive management has yet to be fully integrated and tested in the context of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), principles and applications of adaptive management offer many new possibilities for strengthening the environmental assessment process". According to Silvio Funtowicz and Jerry Ravetz, complex policy-related science could be differentiated into three broad categories –applied science, technical consultancy, and total environmental assessment – based on two dimensions: systems uncertainty and decision stakes. The application of post-normal science in EIA therefore remains entirely consistent and compatible with the application of adaptive environmental assessment and management.
