Empirically derived guidance for social scientists to influence environmental policy

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 conse...

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Published in:	PloS one Vol. 12; no. 3; p. e0171950
Main Authors:	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, Wrigley, Damian
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Public Library of Science 09-03-2017 Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:	Analysis Biodiversity Biology and Life Sciences Conservation biology Conservation of Natural Resources Continents Cultural change Decision Making Decision Support Techniques Ecological effects Ecology and Environmental Sciences Ecosystem Ecosystem services Ecosystems Environmental changes Environmental impact Environmental management Environmental Policy Environmental science Fisheries management Forecasts and trends Humans Integration Knowledge Natural resource management People and Places Policy Making Researchers Resource management Science Policy Scientists Social Sciences Social Sciences - manpower Social scientists Strategic management Studies Surveys and Questionnaires Trustworthiness
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Summary:	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.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Conceptualization: NM NA KB C. Cvitanovic CJ PM SP.Data curation: NM.Funding acquisition: NM.Investigation: NM.Methodology: NM NA KB C. Cvitanovic CJ PM.Project administration: NM CJ.Resources: CJ.Validation: NM NA KB C. Cvitanovic CJ PM SP.Writing – original draft: NM CA KB C. Cvitanovic CJ PM SP.Writing – review & editing: NM NA SA KB C. Crissman C. Cvitanovic CDY MG CJ SJ DJ PM SP D. Wachenfeld D. Wrigley. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. These authors also contributed equally to this work
ISSN:	1932-6203 1932-6203
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0171950