Empirically derived guidance for social scientists to influence environmental policy

Abstract

Failure to stem trends of ecological disruption and associated loss of ecosystem services worldwide is partly due to the inadequate integration of the human dimension into environmental decision-making. Decision-makers need knowledge of the human dimension of resource systems and of the social consequences of decision-making if environmental management is to be effective and adaptive. Social scientists have a central role to play, but little guidance exists to help them influence decision-making processes. We distil 348 years of cumulative experience shared by 31 environmental experts across three continents into advice for social scientists seeking to increase their influence in the environmental policy arena. Results focus on the importance of process, engagement, empathy and acumen and reveal the importance of understanding and actively participating in policy processes through co-producing knowledge and building trust. The insights gained during this research might empower a science-driven cultural change in science-policy relations for the routine integration of the human dimension in environmental decision making; ultimately for an improved outlook for earth’s ecosystems and the billions of people that depend on them.

Comparison of techniques for eliciting views and judgements in decision‐making

“…Calls to integrate more social sciences in conservation are duly acknowledged (Bennett et al, 2017;Marshall et al, 2017), yet scientists, conservation practitioners and decision-makers need guidance on how to realize this integration. Methodological rigour is a prerequisite to achieve a fruitful integration of human perceptions and values, as well as expert opinions in support of effective conservation (Miller, Minteer, & Malan, 2011).…”

An introduction to achieving policy impact for early career researchers

“…An emergent body of literature has sought to understand and enhance the relationship between science, policy and practice (Cvitanovic, Hobday, van Kerkhoff, Wilson, et al, 2015;Fazey et al, 2013), and identify the core principles and processes that are required for impact Cairney and Kwiatkowski, 2017;Cairney and Oliver, 2017;Cvitanovic et al, 2016;Marshall et al, 2017;. Despite this academic progress, however, the practicalities of how to successfully influence policy processes that are laden with diverse ideas, values and norms can remain elusive to many scientists.…”

Collaborative lessons towards marine sustainability: a long-term collective engagement

“…These collaborative methods based on the dialogue among parts, encourage the effective interactive involvement of stakeholders, assuring that stakeholders are heard and that their interests and concerns are integrated in the process. They also place new interrogations to the role of scientists with responsibility in the formulation of advice for public environmental policies and management (Jacobsen et al, 2012;Linke and Bruckmeier, 2015;Linke and Jentoft, 2016;Stange et al, 2016;Marshall et al, 2017).…”

“…Some of these can be learned either professionally or intuitively (Bennett et al, 2017;Roos, 2017), but others are built up with experience and through "hands-on" exploration (Reed, 2008;Stratoudakis et al, 2015a;Marshall et al, 2017). Natural scientists are equipped to deal with resource dynamics, however they, quite often, were not trained to face stakeholder engagement and the need to bring them to the table of negotiation (Boschetti et al, 2016).…”