Abstract:

A myriad of data-elements and technologies are now available to influence the opinions and land management decisions governing agricultural development, water quality management and land-utilization actions. Becoming familiar with these as a professional or learning to embrace these at the student-level are crucial in contemporary society which depends on informed, inclusive decision making to ensure resource equity. These decisions must now must be considered in the framework of global climatic disruptions including global warming, nitrogen enrichment, and greenhouse gas emissions. Information sources include: empirical scientific studies, economic imperatives, aesthetic, ethical and cultural values. Methods to handle and integrate these various elements into judicious decision making is challenging in the face of uncertainly (e.g. natural variation), imperfect understanding of systems, incomplete data, or combinations.  These realities require understanding through more meaningful, associative- and active-based learning. These formats include: co-creation, co-innovation, application, hypothesis-testing and evaluation. This level of engagement requires providing information within a “real world” context, as this kinesthetic approach integrates and engages the full range of knowledge transfer mechanisms. The authors use field-based examples of active learning to deliver concepts of ecosystem security using global models based in New Zealand, Mongolia and the United States (case studies). Such training has the potential for inclusion in school curricula, but requires advocacy and research support from external participants (access to levels of science and technology, licenses to operate including insurances, visas, travel and photographic consent).  This will require instructors to employ methods which move from factual through conceptual and procedural to metacognitive.  The authors also have found in their own classes, especially where natural resource decision making is concerned, experiential learning in the field (broadly meaning interface with the natural world) is an essential part of such curricula no matter the age or cultural categories of students.  This has aided the development of skill sets the authors content are needed by current and future natural resource managers.  These integrate best information, ecosystem use ethics and embrace diversity.