Chapter 2: Agency capacity for effective outdoor recreation and tourism management

This chapter explores concepts in agency capacity and discusses how changes in an organization’s capacity to plan and manage outdoor recreation can shape or limit its ability to provide quality outdoor recreation experiences. We use a case study from the U.S. Forest Service to convey how shifts in financial, human, information, and material resources can challenge an agency’s ability to achieve its mission. We present recent models of agency capacity and its effect on organizational performance and explore notions of adaptive capacity and capacity-building to present ideas about how agencies can quickly reallocate resources and strategically focus on initiatives with high impact and maximum efficiency, while also promoting equity in access as well as economic, social, and environmental sustainability.