Empirically derived guidance for social scientists to influence environmental policy
Marshall, Nadine, Adger, Neil, Attwood, Simon, Brown, Katrina, Crissman, Charles, Cvitanovic, Christopher, De Young, Cassandra, Gooch, Margaret, James, Craig, Jessen, Sabine, Johnson, Dave, Marshall, Paul, Park, Sarah, Wachenfeld, Dave, and Wrigley, Damian (2017) Empirically derived guidance for social scientists to influence environmental policy. PLoS ONE, 12 (3). e0171950.
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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.
| Item ID: | 50739 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Additional Information: | This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
| Funders: | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) |
| Projects and Grants: | CSIRO Julius Career Award |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Sep 2017 11:30 |
| FoR Codes: | 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410404 Environmental management @ 50% 44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4410 Sociology > 441002 Environmental sociology @ 50% |
| SEO Codes: | 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9606 Environmental and Natural Resource Evaluation > 960604 Environmental Management Systems @ 50% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9607 Environmental Policy, Legislation and Standards > 960799 Environmental Policy, Legislation and Standards not elsewhere classified @ 50% |
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