Wilhere George F
Wildlife Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501, U.S.A., email
Conserv Biol. 2002 Feb;16(1):20-29. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00350.x.
Habitat conservation plans ( HCPs) allow incidental take of threatened or endangered species in exchange for conservation measures that minimize and mitigate such taking. Habitat conservation plans entail a compromise between regulatory certainty and scientific uncertainty. This compromise is controversial because many HCPs are thought to inadequately address scientific uncertainty. Adaptive management is the systematic acquisition and application of reliable information to improve natural resource management over time. Ideally, under adaptive management, conservation strategies are implemented as a deliberate experiment. This approach can establish cause-and-effect relationships and point the way toward optimal strategies. Adaptive management has been promoted as essential to management under uncertainty, but few HCPs incorporate genuine adaptive management. Habitat conservation plans will continue to lack adaptive management until certain conditions are met, such as acknowledgment that an HCP is a management hypothesis, landowner interest in improving biological outcomes, and sufficient financial resources. Economic incentives would encourage adaptive management in HCPs. Habitat conservation plan permittees might receive direct payments or tax deductions for reliable information that benefits a species. "Mitigation credits" could be awarded for information produced through adaptive management. In effect, habitat would be exchanged for information that benefits a species. Successful use of mitigation credits would depend on correctly valuing information and enforcement of the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Under a "precautionary polluter pays principle," an HCP permittee would put up an environmental assurance bond. Portions of the bond are returned with interest as adaptive management demonstrates that environmental damages are unlikely to occur. Funds spent on adaptive management are funds unavailable for habitat protection, so limited financial resources may force a compromise between protecting habitat and acquiring knowledge.
栖息地保护计划（HCPs）允许对受威胁或濒危物种进行偶然猎捕，以换取将此类猎捕降至最低并减轻其影响的保护措施。栖息地保护计划需要在监管确定性和科学不确定性之间进行权衡。这种权衡存在争议，因为许多栖息地保护计划被认为未能充分应对科学不确定性。适应性管理是系统地获取和应用可靠信息，以随着时间的推移改善自然资源管理。理想情况下，在适应性管理之下，保护策略是作为一项审慎的实验来实施的。这种方法能够建立因果关系，并指明通向最优策略的道路。适应性管理已被视作在不确定性情况下进行管理的关键要素，但很少有栖息地保护计划纳入真正的适应性管理。除非满足某些条件，比如承认栖息地保护计划是一种管理假设、土地所有者对改善生物成果感兴趣以及有足够的财政资源，否则栖息地保护计划将继续缺乏适应性管理。经济激励措施会鼓励在栖息地保护计划中采用适应性管理。栖息地保护计划的许可方可能会因获得有利于某一物种的可靠信息而获得直接付款或税收减免。通过适应性管理产生的信息可以获得“缓解信用额度”。实际上，栖息地将被用于交换有利于某一物种的信息。成功使用缓解信用额度将取决于对信息的正确估值以及对《美国濒危物种法》的执行。根据“预防污染者付费原则”，栖息地保护计划的许可方需要提供一份环境保证债券。随着适应性管理表明不太可能发生环境损害，债券的一部分会连本带息返还。花在适应性管理上的资金无法用于栖息地保护，因此有限的财政资源可能会迫使在保护栖息地和获取知识之间做出妥协。
