Eliciting the Implicit Knowledge and Perceptions of On-Ground Conservation Managers of the Macquarie Marshes

Abstract

Knowledge that has been developed through extensive experience of receiving and responding to ecological feedback is particularly valuable for informing and guiding environmental management. This paper captures the implicit understanding of seven experienced on-ground conservation managers about the conservation issues affecting the Ramsar listed Macquarie Marshes in New South Wales, Australia. Multiple interviews, a workshop, and meetings were used to elicit the manager's knowledge. The managers suggest that the Macquarie Marshes are seriously threatened by a lack of water, and immediate steps need to be taken to achieve more effective water delivery. Their knowledge and perceptions of the wider societal impediments to achieving more effective water delivery have also led the managers to suggest that there may be system feedbacks that are reinforcing the tendency for water agencies to favor the short-term interests of the irrigation industry. Although the managers clearly have certain personal interests that influence their understanding and perceptions, much of their knowledge also appears to have been heavily influenced by their ecological understanding of the wetland's dynamics. This paper highlights that although all stakeholders clearly need to be involved in making decisions about conservation and how resources should be used, such decisions should not be confused with the need for consulting people with the appropriate ecological expertise to help determine the degree to which an ecological system is threatened, the likely ecological causes of the threats, and actions that may be needed to restore and maintain a functional ecosystem.

Making sense of policy implementation: The construction and uses of expertise and evidence in managing freshwater environments

“…Ben has both certified, a degree in natural sciences, and experiential, 17 years in the EA, knowledge (Fazey et al, 2005(Fazey et al, , 2006Collins and Evans, 2002). On the one hand Ben recognised that conservation had to be underpinned with formal science and he commissioned a mollusc specialist to survey the situation in the river and an academic fluvial geomorphologist to provide data on sediment transfer, which were thought to be limiting mussel recruitment and survival (knowledge brokering).…”

Integrating knowledge exchange and the assessment of dryland management alternatives – A learning-centered participatory approach

“…However, pre-existing knowledge and beliefs are rather resilient and shape the interpretation of new information. Elicitation and assessment of these pre-existing world views, which aim to explicitly articulate existing explicit and implicit knowledge (Fazey et al, 2006), help the reconstruction e i.e. learninge process (Walker and Winter 2007).…”

Pengembangan Variabel-Variabel Indeks Kepekaan Ekologi (Ike) Bagi Pengendalian Tumpahan Minyak Di Ekosistem Mangrove

“…Pakar adalah seorang ahli yang memiliki pengetahuan yang mendalam terkait subyek yang tengah dibahas (O'Hagan et al, 2006). Pakar juga memiliki tingkat relevansi dan kedalaman pengalaman dalam kaitannya dengan topik yang dikaji (Fazey et al, 2006). Kemampuan pakar didasarkan pada pengetahuan dan pengalaman yang banyak pada tugas-tugas yang relevan dengan umpan balik berkualitas tinggi (Ericsson, 2004).…”

“…Kemampuan pakar didasarkan pada pengetahuan dan pengalaman yang banyak pada tugas-tugas yang relevan dengan umpan balik berkualitas tinggi (Ericsson, 2004). Penelitian ilmiah adalah suatu bentuk tertentu dari pengalaman (Fazey et al, 2006). Para pakar sesuai kedalaman pengetahuannya dan keluasan pengalamannya akan mampu menganalisis setiap variabel dengan baik.…”