As defined by the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, adaptive management is a system of management practices based on clearly identified outcomes, monitoring to determine if management actions are meeting outcomes, and, if not, facilitating management changes that will best ensure that outcomes are met or re-evaluated.

As described in the DRMP/DEIS and the PRMP/FEIS, the Bradshaw-Harquahala Approved RMP fosters adaptive management by the presentation of desired future conditions that focus on reaching outcomes rather than identifying inflexible standards and prescriptions that may not be applicable in certain situations.

When land use plan actions or best management practices are found to be ineffective, modifications may occur without amendment of the plan as long as assumptions and impacts disclosed in the analysis remain valid and broad-scale goals and objectives are not changed. This approach uses on-the-ground monitoring, review of scientific information, and consideration of practical experience to adjust management and modify implementation of the plan to reach the desired outcome.