Resource Optimization And Endangered Species Management

On December 21, 2023, I published a post on the Center for California Water Resources Policy and Management's DeltaCurrents blog discussing integration of resource optimization into endangered species policy to improve conservation outcomes. Resource optimization is the allocation of finite resources in the most efficient manner possible. In the context of wildlife management, it is a structured process to select a management action from among available alternatives intended to result in the most efficient allocation of resources to achieve a specified objective.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (together, the Services) can draw from a rich literature to integrate resource optimization into their own structured decision-making practices. Drs. Byron Williams and James Nichols describe four basic elements of resource optimization that the Services should embrace.