The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework is a decision-making tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to ecological changes resulting from climate change.
Responding to changing ecosystems
Ecosystems are transforming under climate change, with substantial shifts in ecological processes and important ecosystem services occurring at unprecedented rates. As systems approach socio-economic and ecological thresholds, our current management toolbox has proved to be incomplete for conservation and the sustainable provision of ecosystem services, including fisheries production and the wildlife habitat. Multiple approaches are therefore needed to address the varying uncertainties we face in this increasingly non-stationary world. Managers navigating ecosystem transformation can benefit from considering broader objectives beyond a traditional focus on resisting ecosystem change, by also considering whether accepting change or directing it along a preferred pathway might be more appropriate (RAD framework).
Taking action in the face of change
In supporting natural resource management that seeks to make strategic, forward-looking decisions in an era of change, adapting to ecosystem transformation benefits all people. Still, there is great uncertainty in the changes to come and the path forward is unclear. The scientific community can help decision-makers by increasing its understanding of how ecosystems will transform. After identifying both the desirable and unacceptable potential outcomes, managers can develop appropriate actions, all the while remaining flexible in their approach as they learn more. Today’s leadership and decision making can improve our ability to respond to ecosystem transformation by supporting efforts to understand the trajectories of change, the efficacy of current management approaches, and the best design practices for resisting and directing transformation in order to achieve desired ecosystem goals.
Resources
Webinars & Workshops:
- The RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) Climate Adaptation Framework National CASC webinar (2022)
- Resist-Accept-Direct Webinar Series USFWS National Conservation Training Center (2022)
- How the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework clarifies modern environmental stewardship challenges and fosters strategic responses Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NW RISCC) Network Virtual Symposium (2021)
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Managing for RADical ecosystem change: Applying the Resist, Accept, or Direct (RAD) Framework IUCN Climate Change Specialist Group webinar (2021)
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Thinking about Adaptation: Exploring the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework USFWS National Conservation Training Center training (2021)
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How the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework clarifies the challenge of modern natural resource management and supports strategic, forward-looking action. NC CASC webinar (2021)
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Are federal land managers ready and SET for stewarding ecological transformation? FedNET workshop (2019)
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Resist, Accept, or Direct? A decision framework for navigating climate change-driven ecological transformations NOAA National Marine Protected Area Center webinar (2019)
The RAD Framework has been incorporated into various USGS research projects, including many funded by the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers. Learn more about these projects below.
Public Land Manager Decision-Making Under Ecological Transformation
Adaptation Strategies in the Face of Climate-Driven Ecological Transformation: Case Studies from Arctic Alaska and the U.S. Great Plains
Mapping the Risk of Ecological Transformation Across Pinyon Woodlands and the U.S. West
State of the Science on Ecosystem Transformation
Academic articles in a variety of journals have developed and discussed the RAD Framework. Read these publications below.
RAD Special Issue
The journal Fisheries Management and Ecology produced a special issue on the RAD Framework featuring RAD thematic articles and case studies focused on fish and fisheries.
RAD Special Section
A Special Section in the journal Bioscience provides an in-depth exploration of the RAD framework. Articles examine practical applications, compatibility with existing tools, social barriers and opportunities, and more.
External Publications
Partners outside the USGS also publish articles discussing the RAD framework. Find a selection of these publications below.
- Overview
The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework is a decision-making tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to ecological changes resulting from climate change.
The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework is a decision-making tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to ecological changes resulting from climate change. View audio-described version. Responding to changing ecosystems
Ecosystems are transforming under climate change, with substantial shifts in ecological processes and important ecosystem services occurring at unprecedented rates. As systems approach socio-economic and ecological thresholds, our current management toolbox has proved to be incomplete for conservation and the sustainable provision of ecosystem services, including fisheries production and the wildlife habitat. Multiple approaches are therefore needed to address the varying uncertainties we face in this increasingly non-stationary world. Managers navigating ecosystem transformation can benefit from considering broader objectives beyond a traditional focus on resisting ecosystem change, by also considering whether accepting change or directing it along a preferred pathway might be more appropriate (RAD framework).
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.The RAD Framework lays out three approaches for making management decisions for systems undergoing ecosystem transformation: 1) Resist, where managers work to maintain or restore ecosystem composition, structure, processes, or function on the basis of historical or acceptable current conditions, 2) Accept, where managers allow ecosystem composition, structure, process, or function to change autonomously, and 3) Direct, where managers actively shape change in ecosystem composition, structure, processes, or function toward preferred new conditions. Taking action in the face of change
In supporting natural resource management that seeks to make strategic, forward-looking decisions in an era of change, adapting to ecosystem transformation benefits all people. Still, there is great uncertainty in the changes to come and the path forward is unclear. The scientific community can help decision-makers by increasing its understanding of how ecosystems will transform. After identifying both the desirable and unacceptable potential outcomes, managers can develop appropriate actions, all the while remaining flexible in their approach as they learn more. Today’s leadership and decision making can improve our ability to respond to ecosystem transformation by supporting efforts to understand the trajectories of change, the efficacy of current management approaches, and the best design practices for resisting and directing transformation in order to achieve desired ecosystem goals.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.The Resist, Accept, Direct (RAD) framework lays out three approaches for resource managers supporting ecosystems undergoing transformations. The first is to Resist the changes by attempting to maintain ecosystems in their current state or restore a historical state. For example, in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, managers restore stream banks, remove and monitor invasive species, proactively manage fire, and increase landscape connectivity through highway over- or underpasses to preserve existing ecosystems. The next approach is to Accept changes that cannot be feasibly resisted or that are acceptable to society. For example, local communities in the Kenai Peninsula have accepted changes in fish and wildlife communities brought about by large-scale climate change effects, such as warming stream temperatures, melting glaciers, rising tree lines, drying wetlands, and out-of-control invasive species. The final approach is to Direct changes to a different state, either because resistance is unrealistic or there is an opportunity to move toward a desirable future state. For example, after a spruce bark beetle epidemic and human-caused fires turned white spruce forests into a novel grassland ecosystem in the Kenai Peninsula, managers are planting trees from neighboring regions and are considering introducing large grazers to stabilize the new grasslands and related communities. Resources
Webinars & Workshops:
- The RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) Climate Adaptation Framework National CASC webinar (2022)
- Resist-Accept-Direct Webinar Series USFWS National Conservation Training Center (2022)
- How the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework clarifies modern environmental stewardship challenges and fosters strategic responses Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NW RISCC) Network Virtual Symposium (2021)
-
Managing for RADical ecosystem change: Applying the Resist, Accept, or Direct (RAD) Framework IUCN Climate Change Specialist Group webinar (2021)
-
Thinking about Adaptation: Exploring the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework USFWS National Conservation Training Center training (2021)
-
How the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework clarifies the challenge of modern natural resource management and supports strategic, forward-looking action. NC CASC webinar (2021)
-
Are federal land managers ready and SET for stewarding ecological transformation? FedNET workshop (2019)
-
Resist, Accept, or Direct? A decision framework for navigating climate change-driven ecological transformations NOAA National Marine Protected Area Center webinar (2019)
- Science
The RAD Framework has been incorporated into various USGS research projects, including many funded by the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers. Learn more about these projects below.
Public Land Manager Decision-Making Under Ecological Transformation
As pressures from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, like invasive species, increase, new challenges arise for natural resource managers who are responsible for the health of public lands. One of the greatest challenges these managers face is that the traditional way of managing resources might not be as effective, or in some cases might be ineffective, in light of transformationalAdaptation Strategies in the Face of Climate-Driven Ecological Transformation: Case Studies from Arctic Alaska and the U.S. Great Plains
Climate change is already affecting ecosystems, and will likely trigger significant and permanent changes in both ecological and human communities. Such transformations are already occurring in the Arctic region of Alaska, where temperatures are warming at twice the global average and causing some ecosystems to transition to new states. Arctic warming has led to coastal erosion that has forced humMapping the Risk of Ecological Transformation Across Pinyon Woodlands and the U.S. West
Pinyon pine woodlands are among the most widespread and iconic vegetation types in the western United States and support recreation, resource extraction, grazing, and cultural enrichment. However, severe drought conditions have recently caused dramatic mortality of pinyon pines, creating concern about the long-term impact of increasing aridity on the viability of pinyon woodlands. Ecological transState of the Science on Ecosystem Transformation
Recent changes in climate are having profound effects on many fish and wildlife species, and projections suggest that those trends are likely to continue. Changing climate conditions have the potential to transform ecosystems, which impacts not only fish and wildlife but also human communities, which rely on ecosystems for important goods and services such as food and water filtration. Strategies - Multimedia
- Publications
Academic articles in a variety of journals have developed and discussed the RAD Framework. Read these publications below.
RAD Special Issue
The journal Fisheries Management and Ecology produced a special issue on the RAD Framework featuring RAD thematic articles and case studies focused on fish and fisheries.
RAD Special Section
A Special Section in the journal Bioscience provides an in-depth exploration of the RAD framework. Articles examine practical applications, compatibility with existing tools, social barriers and opportunities, and more.
External PublicationsPartners outside the USGS also publish articles discussing the RAD framework. Find a selection of these publications below.
- News
- Partners