Developing and delivering scientific information in response to emerging needs

Abstract

BackgroundPublic environmental concerns and issues are increasingly place-based and related to ecological sustainability. As a result, measures of scientific success for ecologists no longer simply involve developing new information and making it available, but should also incorporate the production and delivery of information that improves and informs decisions and policies. The word "delivery" is deliberately chosen to indicate that an ongoing dialogue with those who require or use ecological information in making choices or developing policies must be involved in order to ensure that tailored information fulfills users' needs. This additional focus Ecological information that adequately informs society's decisions often differs in several ways from that which science routinely provides. This workshop examined changes that may be required if some of society's pressing goals (eg sustained provision of ecosystem services, establishment of policy that adequately reflects interacting economic, social, and environmental factors, and an engaged public making increasingly informed choices) are to be achieved. Using a common framework, representatives of the Long Term Ecological Research networks in Canada, the US, and Mexico described their concerns and initiatives related to the delivery and effectiveness of the data and information they generate. Workshop participants reached consensus on a number of recommendations: (1) that it is the responsibility of ecologists to effectively inform societal choices, policies, and decisions; (2) that improved outcomes need to be an additional performance measure at a science program level; and (3) that a variety of recommendations need to be acted upon to enhance the effectiveness of ecological science. A full symposium through the Ecological Society of America is suggested. Front Ecol Environ 2007; 5(4): W8-W11

Moving towards public policy-ready science: philosophical insights on the social-ecological systems perspective for conservation science

“…Although use-inspired basic research, applied sciences, and technologies have been encouraged and are being developed (Clark 2007), most scientific results are rarely straightforward available or easily communicated for decision-makers, requiring extra work from scientists, intermediaries and/or translators (see below and Barrere et al 2014;Fernández 2016). This is why we stated above that public policy-ready science (PPRS), and not just a policy-relevant science (see e.g., Boyd 2013), is a necessity (Ascher 2007;Vaughan et al 2007). In this sense, we strongly believe that the SES approach is an important tool towards this goal (see Galán et al 2012).…”

Understanding large‐scale, complex, human–environmental processes: a framework for social–ecological observatories

“…ILTER has been a partner for many global environmental initiatives (eg PECS, Global Land Programme, DataONE) and many ILTER scientists participate in international programs. The network is well positioned to inform policy and management decisions by addressing temporal (long-term) and spatial (international network) scales seldom accounted for in scientific research (Vaughan et al 2007;Parr 2013). For instance, an international symposium to assess the contribution of long-term CHANS studies to planning and management for sustainability of water resources in Europe and elsewhere was convened in cooperation with the European Long-Term Ecosystem Research Network and the ILTER.…”

Changes in biodiversity and trade-offs among ecosystem services, stakeholders, and components of well-being: the contribution of the International Long-Term Ecological Research network (ILTER) to Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS)

“…This approach allows assessment of slow, unexpected, as well as abrupt changes in ecosystems. Also, through the global network of sites, it can contribute to the understanding of how local processes scale up to global and back to local, and how contrasting ecosystems respond to similar drivers (http://www.ilternet.edu; Vaughan et al 2007, Parr 2013. Therefore, the network is very well positioned to inform policy and management decisions by addressing temporal (long-term) and spatial (international network) scales seldom accounted for in scientific research.…”