This project uses a structural decision making (SDM) framework for exploring the perceived trade-offs between socio-economic and biological constraints that arise in collective efforts among end users and stakeholders in devising the next steps of formulating strategies for managing CWD in Alberta. SDM is an organized approach for helping people work together to make informed and transparent choices in complex decision situations. SDM provides a formal analytical framework for evaluating complex decisions. It is a “values-based decision-making process” that “guides decision-makers through steps of formulating the decision context, establishing objectives, generating a set of management alternatives, identifying key uncertainties that might affect the decision, and making trade-offs among objectives”. Adaptive management is one form of SDM for reoccurring decision-making (e.g., setting hunting regulations and allocations). SDM helps ensure that decisions incorporate societal values, uncertainty, and the best available science in a transparent, defendable way. At the same time, it provides a means for end- users to better understand how different stakeholder groups perceive the importance of key trade-offs, which can help them communicate their efforts more effectively.
Status: On-going