A video narrated by National CASC Fish Biologist Abby Lynch explaining the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework, a decision-making tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to ecological changes resulting from climate change_._ The video is a narrated slide show with animations and photos guiding the viewer through the framework.
The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) Framework Active
Special Publication on RAD Framework
A Special Section in the journal BioScience provides an in-depth exploration of the RAD framework and how it can be applied to modern conservation challenges.
RAD in the News
The New York Times sat down with representatives from the National Park Service to discuss how they are re-thinking their management strategies using RAD.
RAD Across the USGS
Scientists with the USGS Cooperative Research Units are applying RAD to applied fisheries and wildlife management research across the country.
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
“The RAD framework is about helping people really come to terms with the extent and pace of climate change and the discomfort that uncertainty brings. After people face the reality of climate change, they tend to come up with a much wider range of potential management actions. I think of a RAD brainstorming session like throwing a pot of freshly cooked spaghetti at the wall; if you don’t throw out some wild ideas, you’ll never find the one that sticks.” - Nicole Ward, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
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.
Additional Resources
Webinars & Workshops:
- RADical ecosystem change: Applying the RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) framework Stewardship Network webinar (2023)
- 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)
RAD has been incorporated into various USGS research projects, including many funded by the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers. Learn more about these projects below.
Using the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework to Manage Wildfires, Carbon Storage, and Ecological Transformations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Crafting Ecological Scenarios to Implement the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) Framework
Cross-Park RAD Project (CPRP): A Case Study in Four National Parks Investigating How Institutional Context and Emotions Shape Manager Decisions to Resist, Accept, or Direct Change in Transforming Ecosystems
Informing Decisions to Resist, Accept, or Direct Post-fire Vegetation Transitions
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
Explore how RAD is applied through these introductory videos.
A video narrated by National CASC Fish Biologist Abby Lynch explaining the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework, a decision-making tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to ecological changes resulting from climate change_._ The video is a narrated slide show with animations and photos guiding the viewer through the framework.
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.
Academic articles in a variety of journals have developed and discussed the RAD framework. Read these publications below.
External Publications
Partners outside the USGS also publish articles discussing RAD. Find a selection of these publications below.
Reimagining large river management using the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework in the Upper Mississippi River
A brave new world: Managing for biodiversity conservation under ecosystem transformation
Resisting-accepting-directing: Ecosystem management guided by an ecological resilience assessment
Resist, accept, and direct responses to biological invasions: A social–ecological perspective
Ecological and social strategies for managing fisheries using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework
Resist-accept-direct (RAD) considerations for climate change adaptation in fisheries: The Wisconsin experience
A Resist-Accept-Direct decision-support tool for walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) management in Wisconsin
Resisting ecosystem transformation through an intensive whole-lake fish removal experiment
Navigating ecological transformation: Resist-accept-direct as a path to a new resource management paradigm
RAD adaptive management for transforming ecosystems
A science agenda to inform natural resource management decisions in an era of ecological transformation
Responding to ecological transformation: Mental models, external constraints, and manager decision-making
Lake Class and Walleye Natural Resources Information
The goal of this tool is that users of the tool can use the information provided here to inform their decisions (or their advice to those with decision-making authority) about whether to Resist, Accept, or Direct in walleye fisheries in Wisconsin.
Learn more about RAD and it's use in management decisions through USGS news articles on the topic. To stay up-to-date on RAD news coming out of the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs), sign up for the CASC newsletter.
Interested in being a part of a growing community of practice on RAD? Consider joining our "RADish" community email list that invites members to share RAD-relevant communications, such as articles, upcoming events, and discussion topics with other members of the group.
RADish Community Distribution List
The “RADish” distribution list serves the community of practice around the RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) framework. We strive to maintain an inclusive and professional community engaged in RAD-relevant discussions only. Please review our Community Guidelines before subscribing to the list.
RAD Community of Practice
A growing community of practice, including the Federal Navigating Ecological Transformation (FedNET) and the American Fisheries Society and the Wildlife Society's ecosystem transformation working groups, is helping incorporate the RAD framework into ecosystem management decisions.
- 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.
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
“The RAD framework is about helping people really come to terms with the extent and pace of climate change and the discomfort that uncertainty brings. After people face the reality of climate change, they tend to come up with a much wider range of potential management actions. I think of a RAD brainstorming session like throwing a pot of freshly cooked spaghetti at the wall; if you don’t throw out some wild ideas, you’ll never find the one that sticks.” - Nicole Ward, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
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.
Additional Resources
Webinars & Workshops:
- RADical ecosystem change: Applying the RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) framework Stewardship Network webinar (2023)
- 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
RAD has been incorporated into various USGS research projects, including many funded by the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers. Learn more about these projects below.
Using the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework to Manage Wildfires, Carbon Storage, and Ecological Transformations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
The Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) is an iconic landscape with national parks, iconic species like grizzly bears and elk, and over 11,500 square miles of forest. While fires are a natural part of the GYA, climate change and land management legacies are increasing the frequency and size of severe fires. Climate change interacts with these fires to shift conifer forests to non-forested grassland andCrafting Ecological Scenarios to Implement the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) Framework
As climate change progresses, profound environmental changes are becoming a widespread concern. A new management paradigm is developing to address this concern with a framework that encourages strategic decisions to resist, accept, or direct ecological trajectories. Effective use of the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework requires the scientific community to describe the range of plausible ecologCross-Park RAD Project (CPRP): A Case Study in Four National Parks Investigating How Institutional Context and Emotions Shape Manager Decisions to Resist, Accept, or Direct Change in Transforming Ecosystems
Natural & cultural resource managers are facing a slew of new challenges for managing public lands stemming from climate change and human-driven stressors like invasive species, fragmentation, and new resource uses. In some cases, the very landscapes and species they are managing are changing in significant ways, transforming from one set of conditions to another. As a result, previously successfuInforming Decisions to Resist, Accept, or Direct Post-fire Vegetation Transitions
As wildfire activity surges in the western U.S., managers are increasingly challenged by decisions surrounding managing post-fire environments.Changing fire regimes and warmer,drier post-fire conditions are increasing the likelihood of post-fire vegetation transitions, for example,from forest to grassland. Given the economic and ecological importance of these ecosystems, transformation is a concerPublic 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
Explore how RAD is applied through these introductory videos.
The RAD FrameworkA video narrated by National CASC Fish Biologist Abby Lynch explaining the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework, a decision-making tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to ecological changes resulting from climate change_._ The video is a narrated slide show with animations and photos guiding the viewer through the framework.
A video narrated by National CASC Fish Biologist Abby Lynch explaining the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework, a decision-making tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to ecological changes resulting from climate change_._ The video is a narrated slide show with animations and photos guiding the viewer through the framework.
RAD Framework for Ecosystem Management amid Climate BreakdownRAD Framework for Ecosystem Management amid Climate BreakdownRAD Framework for Ecosystem Management amid Climate BreakdownThe 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.
- Publications
Academic articles in a variety of journals have developed and discussed the RAD framework. Read these publications below.
External PublicationsPartners outside the USGS also publish articles discussing RAD. Find a selection of these publications below.
Filter Total Items: 14Reimagining large river management using the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework in the Upper Mississippi River
BackgroundLarge-river decision-makers are charged with maintaining diverse ecosystem services through unprecedented social-ecological transformations as climate change and other global stressors intensify. The interconnected, dendritic habitats of rivers, which often demarcate jurisdictional boundaries, generate complex management challenges. Here, we explore how the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) fraAuthorsNicole K. Ward, Abigail Lynch, Erik A. Beever, Joshua Booker, Kristen L. Bouska, Holly Susan Embke, John F. Kocik, Joshua Kocik, Mary Grace T. Lemon, David J. Lawrence, Douglas Limpinsel, Madeline Magee, Bryan M. Maitland, Owen P. McKenna, Andrew R. Meier, John M. Morton, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Robert Newman, Devon C. Oliver, Heidi M. Rantala, Greg G. Sass, Aaron D. Shultz, Laura Thompson, Jennifer L. WilkeningA brave new world: Managing for biodiversity conservation under ecosystem transformation
Traditional conservation practices have primarily relied on maintaining biodiversity by preserving species and habitats in place. Many regions are experiencing unprecedented environmental conditions, shifts in species distribution and habitats, and high turnover in species composition, resulting in ecological transformation. Natural resource managers have lacked tools for identifying and selectingAuthorsJennifer L. Wilkening, Dawn Robin Magness, Laura Thompson, Abigail LynchResisting-accepting-directing: Ecosystem management guided by an ecological resilience assessment
As anthropogenic influences push ecosystems past tipping points and into new regimes, complex management decisions are complicated by rapid ecosystem changes that may be difficult to reverse. For managers who grapple with how to manage ecosystems under novel conditions and heightened uncertainty, advancing our understanding of regime shifts is paramount. As part of an ecological resilience assessAuthorsKristen L. Bouska, Nathan R. De Jager, Jeffrey N. HouserResist, accept, and direct responses to biological invasions: A social–ecological perspective
Biological invasions represent an important and unique case of ecological transformation that can strongly influence species and entire ecosystems. Challenges in managing invasions arise on multiple fronts, ranging from diverse and often divergent values associated with native and introduced species, logistical constraints, and transformation via other change agents (e.g., climate and land-use chaAuthorsJason B. Dunham, Joseph R. Benjamin, David J. Lawrence, Katherine CliffordEcological and social strategies for managing fisheries using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework
Fisheries management is a complex task made even more challenging by rapid and unprecedented socioecological transformations associated with climate change. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework can be a useful tool to support fisheries management in facing the high uncertainty and variability associated with aquatic ecosystem transformations. Here, RAD strategies are presented to address ecoloAuthorsAbigail Lynch, Frank J. Rahel, Douglas Limpinsel, Suresh Sethi, Agustin C. Engman, David J. Lawrence, Katherine E. Mills, Wendy Morrison, Jay O. Peterson, Mark T. PorathResist-accept-direct (RAD) considerations for climate change adaptation in fisheries: The Wisconsin experience
Decision-makers in inland fisheries management must balance ecologically and socially palatable objectives for ecosystem services within financial or physical constraints. Climate change has transformed the potential range of ecosystem services available. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework offers a foundation for responding to climate-induced ecosystem modification; however, ecosystem trajecAuthorsZachary S. Feiner, Aaron D. Shultz, Greg G. Sass, Ashley Trudeau, Matthew G. Mitro, Colin J. Dassow, Alexander W. Latzka, Daniel A. Isermann, Bryan M. Maitland, Jared Joseph Homola, Holly Susan Embke, Michael PreulA Resist-Accept-Direct decision-support tool for walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) management in Wisconsin
Large-scale modelling and prediction provide insight into general influences of climate change on inland recreational fisheries; however, small-scale dynamics and local expertise will be key in developing explicit goals for managing recreational fisheries as the climate changes. The resist-accept-direct (RAD) framework encompasses the entire decision space managers consider when addressing climateAuthorsColin J. Dassow, Alex W. Latzka, Abigail Lynch, Greg G. Sass, Ralph W. Tingley, Craig PaukertResisting ecosystem transformation through an intensive whole-lake fish removal experiment
Lake ecosystems are shifting due to many drivers including climate change and landscape-scale habitat disturbance, diminishing their potential to support some fisheries. Walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) populations, which support recreational and tribal fisheries across North America, have declined in some lakes. Climate change, harvest, invasive species and concurrent increases in warm-water fisAuthorsHolly Susan Embke, Stephen R. Carpenter, Daniel A. Isermann, Giancarlo Coppola, Douglas Beard, Abigail Lynch, Greg. G Sass, Zachary S. Feiner, M. Jake Vander ZandenNavigating ecological transformation: Resist-accept-direct as a path to a new resource management paradigm
Natural resource managers worldwide face a growing challenge: Intensifying global change increasingly propels ecosystems toward irreversible ecological transformations. This nonstationarity challenges traditional conservation goals and human well-being. It also confounds a longstanding management paradigm that assumes a future that reflects the past. As once-familiar ecological conditions disappeaAuthorsGregor W. Schuurman, David N. Cole, Amanda E. Cravens, Scott Covington, Shelley D. Crausbay, Cat Hawkins Hoffman, David J. Lawrence, Dawn R. Magness, John M. Morton, Elizabeth Nelson, Robin O'MalleyRAD adaptive management for transforming ecosystems
Intensifying global change is propelling many ecosystems toward irreversible transformations. Natural resource managers face the complex task of conserving these important resources under unprecedented conditions and expanding uncertainty. As once familiar ecological conditions disappear, traditional management approaches that assume the future will reflect the past are becoming increasingly untenAuthorsAbigail Lynch, Laura Thompson, John M. Morton, Erik A. Beever, Michael Clifford, Douglas Limpinsel, Robert T. Magill, Dawn R. Magness, Tracy A. Melvin, Robert A. Newman, Mark T. Porath, Frank J. Rahel, Joel H. Reynolds, Gregor W. Schuurman, Suresh Sethi, Jennifer L. WilkeningA science agenda to inform natural resource management decisions in an era of ecological transformation
Earth is experiencing widespread ecological transformation in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems that is attributable to directional environmental changes, especially intensifying climate change. To better steward ecosystems facing unprecedented and lasting change, a new management paradigm is forming, supported by a decision-oriented framework that presents three distinct management cAuthorsShelley Crausbay, Helen Sofaer, Amanda E. Cravens, Brian C. Chaffin, Katherine R. Clifford, John E. Gross, Corrine N. Knapp, David J Lawrence, Dawn Magness, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Gregor W. Schuurman, Camille S. Stevens-RumannResponding to ecological transformation: Mental models, external constraints, and manager decision-making
Ecological transformation creates many challenges for public natural resource management and requires managers to grapple with new relationships to change and new ways to manage it. In the context of unfamiliar trajectories of ecological change, a manager can resist, accept, or direct change, choices that make up the resist-accept-direct (RAD) framework. In this article, we provide a conceptual frAuthorsKatherine R. Clifford, Amanda E. Cravens, Corrine N. Knapp - Web Tools
Lake Class and Walleye Natural Resources Information
The goal of this tool is that users of the tool can use the information provided here to inform their decisions (or their advice to those with decision-making authority) about whether to Resist, Accept, or Direct in walleye fisheries in Wisconsin.
- News
Learn more about RAD and it's use in management decisions through USGS news articles on the topic. To stay up-to-date on RAD news coming out of the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs), sign up for the CASC newsletter.
- Partners
Interested in being a part of a growing community of practice on RAD? Consider joining our "RADish" community email list that invites members to share RAD-relevant communications, such as articles, upcoming events, and discussion topics with other members of the group.
RADish Community Distribution ListThe “RADish” distribution list serves the community of practice around the RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) framework. We strive to maintain an inclusive and professional community engaged in RAD-relevant discussions only. Please review our Community Guidelines before subscribing to the list.
RAD Community of PracticeA growing community of practice, including the Federal Navigating Ecological Transformation (FedNET) and the American Fisheries Society and the Wildlife Society's ecosystem transformation working groups, is helping incorporate the RAD framework into ecosystem management decisions.