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Empirically derived guidance for social scientists to influence environmental policy
Citation
Marshall, N and Adger, N and Attwood, S and Brown, K and Crissman, C and Cvitanovic, C and De Young, C and Gooch, M and James, C and Jessen, S and Johnson, D and Marshall, P and Park, S and Wachenfeld, D and Wrigley, D, Empirically derived guidance for social scientists to influence environmental policy, PLoS One, 12, (3) Article e0171950. ISSN 1932-6203 (2017) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2017 Marshall et al. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
DOI: doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0171950
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 Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | social science, evidence, knowledge exchange |
| Research Division: | Human Society |
| Research Group: | Policy and administration |
| Research Field: | Environment policy |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Coastal and estuarine systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems |
| UTAS Author: | Cvitanovic, C (Dr Christopher Cvitanovic) |
| ID Code: | 115264 |
| Year Published: | 2017 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 46 |
| Deposited By: | Fisheries and Aquaculture |
| Deposited On: | 2017-03-13 |
| Last Modified: | 2018-03-21 |
| Downloads: | 132 View Download Statistics |
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