Uncertainty about the outcomes of management actions always has been a central concern of environmental and resource policies. In recent decades, as a broad base of expert and public stakeholders has come to be involved in many decisions made by federal and state resource agencies, managers have struggled to find ways to address uncertainty effectively in the context of multi-party, multi-issue environmental management deliberations. This project seeks to develop and test new ways to address concerns such as learning and robustness and flexibility that lie at the heart of management plans when uncertainty is pervasive, and to find ways to present information about the uncertainty associated with outcomes of plans in ways that will make sense to people and help to integrate their cognitive and emotional responses. Research methods include experimental groups, workshops with professional risk managers, and other promising approaches with diverse stakeholders and environmental issues. The research will facilitate participation on the part of public and community stakeholders in environmental management decisions.
