Opening learning spaces to create actionable knowledge for conservation

Abstract

The limited application of science to environmental management has been termed the "science-management knowledge gap." This gap is widely assumed to be a consequence of inefficient knowledge transfer from science to application.However, this metaphor misrepresents knowledge as a "thing" that can be readily exchanged in complex systems, rather than a "process of relating" that involves negotiation and dialogue among stakeholders. We advocate for development of a more explicit alternative model of knowledge creation founded on Nonaka's Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation, which emphasizes how knowledge is converted into more usable forms through socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization within "learning spaces."Effective learning spaces require sufficient trust to enable open, honest, and receptive interactions among stakeholders. We advocate that greater emphasis on knowledge conversions within effectively designed learning spaces will accelerate development of actionable knowledge beyond that of existing models.

Working with or against multifunctional landscapes? A case study of land users’ local knowledge of grassland–forest transition zones in northeastern Germany

“…Actionable knowledge is knowledge generated through effective collaboration of different stakeholders, leading it to be usable in practice (Stern et al 2021). Therefore, to produce actionable knowledge, scientific and local knowledge need to be intertwined to represent diverse social, legal, organizational, and political contexts (Mach et al 2020, Stern et al 2021.…”

“…Actionable knowledge is knowledge generated through effective collaboration of different stakeholders, leading it to be usable in practice (Stern et al 2021). Therefore, to produce actionable knowledge, scientific and local knowledge need to be intertwined to represent diverse social, legal, organizational, and political contexts (Mach et al 2020, Stern et al 2021. Especially within conservation research, many authors highlight the need to integrate multiple forms and sources of knowledge to focus on the interconnectedness of social and environmental issues and to foster agricultural production alongside biodiversity conservation within multifunctional landscapes (Kloppenburg 1991, Pretty 1995, Berkes 2004.…”

Insights from a novel, user-driven science transfer program for resource management

“…PI = principal investigator; SDM = structured decision-making; control agents = Fisheries and Oceans Canada and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who implement sea lamprey control on behalf of the commission on various specific topics (see Examples 1-3) by creating an effective learning space (Stern et al 2021). Most of the success factors identified pertain to the knowledge mediation sphere (Nguyen et al 2017), as that is the arena in which the commission has the most influence.…”

Science for social licence to arrest an ecosystem-transforming invasion

“…Concurrently, there is an increasing emphasis on the value of other knowledge sources, such as professional, local, and traditional experience with individual ecosystems in environmental decision-making (e.g. Makey and Awatere 2018 ; Stern et al 2021 ; Wheeler and Root-Bernstein 2020 ).…”