SYMP 8

Pretty Darn Good Control of Noisy, Uncertain, and Dynamic Ecological Systems

Ecologists have drawn on a body of mathematics known as optimal control theory to study both the evolution of life history strategies and the management of ecosystems. However, traditional optimal control theory requires that researchers assume away the noisy, uncertain, and highly dynamic nature of ecosystems. Moreover, the approach often yields cartoonish recommendations about optimal life history strategies or ecosystem management strategies that are simply implausible for implementation by organisms or natural resource managers. This symposium will present an alternative approach to optimal control that embraces the complexity that characterizes ecosystems and the limitations on plausible strategy sets without sacrificing the original drive towards optimality. We term this approach Pretty Darn Good Control. After an overview of this approach by our first speaker, the remaining speakers will illustrate Pretty Darn Good Control ideas through applications to the life history of coral reef fishes and marine ecosystem management. Through these applications, speakers will cover topics related to optimization under model and parameter uncertainty and costly controls.