Tribbia J., Moser. S.C. 2008. More than information: what coastal managers need to plan for climate change.. Environmental Science & Policy.. :315-328.

Aim/objectives: 

Examines information needs of Californian coastal managers in dealing with climate change and the challenges they are facing.

Geographic Focus: 

Methods: 

Key Findings: 

The article reveals that coastal managers are often faced with various types of information and information sources, which is not always applied to support coastal management decisions. To support the usefulness of gathered information, managers may need interactive forms of learning, forums for discussion of the information and practical examples to learn about management options for climate change adaptation. This helps to widen the scope of perceived information needs beyond what is traditionally used. Discussion forums amongst managers not only help identify information needs but also help with making better use of the identified information, which enhances learning. Boundary organizations become important in supporting managers in learning, understanding and using scientific climate knowledge in their daily work.

Lessons: 

Information within adaptive learning has little value unless it can be successfully interpreted according to its intended need, and then acted on. What appears to be lacking in organisational adaptive learning systems, is not a shortage of information but an effective use, and integration, of the most critical information. This article provides some insights into this learning dilemma.