Hunting Down the Chimera of Multiple Disciplinarity in Conservation Science

Abstract

The consensus is that both ecological and social factors are essential dimensions of conservation research and practice. However, much of the literature on multiple disciplinary collaboration focuses on the difficulties of undertaking it. This review of the challenges of conducting multiple disciplinary collaboration offers a framework for thinking about the diversity and complexity of this endeavor. We focused on conceptual challenges, of which 5 main categories emerged: methodological challenges, value judgments, theories of knowledge, disciplinary prejudices, and interdisciplinary communication. The major problems identified in these areas have proved remarkably persistent in the literature surveyed (c.1960–2012). Reasons for these failures to learn from past experience include the pressure to produce positive outcomes and gloss over disagreements, the ephemeral nature of many such projects and resulting lack of institutional memory, and the apparent complexity and incoherence of the endeavor. We suggest that multiple disciplinary collaboration requires conceptual integration among carefully selected multiple disciplinary team members united in investigating a shared problem or question. We outline a 9-point sequence of steps for setting up a successful multiple disciplinary project. This encompasses points on recruitment, involving stakeholders, developing research questions, negotiating power dynamics and hidden values and conceptual differences, explaining and choosing appropriate methods, developing a shared language, facilitating on-going communications, and discussing data integration and project outcomes. Although numerous solutions to the challenges of multiple disciplinary research have been proposed, lessons learned are often lost when projects end or experienced individuals move on. We urge multiple disciplinary teams to capture the challenges recognized, and solutions proposed, by their researchers while projects are in process. A database of well-documented case studies would showcase theories and methods from a variety of disciplines and their interactions, enable better comparative study and evaluation, and provide a useful resource for developing future projects and training multiple disciplinary researchers.

Necessary but challenging: Multiple disciplinary approaches to solving conservation problems

“…Today, conservation Much scholarly activity has focused on defining and discussing the terms used to describe the different levels or types of integrated research (Kockelmans 1979;Max-Neef 2005;Tress et al 2005;Stock and Burton 2011). For the sake of brevity and inclusivity, we will use the term "multiple disciplinary research" to describe all types of crossing and integration between/among disciplines and nonacademic institutions (Pooley et al 2014).…”

Advancing marine conservation in European and contiguous seas with the MarCons Action

“…It would also help scientists and policy-makers to understand the origins of stakeholder resistance to conservation measures. Making marine conservation truly interdisciplinary, through engagement with economists, anthropologists and other social scientists is critically needed, but challenging to achieve (Pooley et al 2014).…”

ESLab application to a boreal watershed in southern Finland: preparing for a virtual research environment of ecosystem services

“…The long term goal is to provide an open web tool, publishing its results on open interfaces. Future implementations of ESLAb will include a glossary and the options of including interactive features will be explored, with the aim of developing a shared language and facilitate on-going communication within the community of users from multiple disciplines (Pooley et al 2014).…”

“…Ultimately, openly available information on ES indicators and values may increase transparency in local and national decision making. Applying the concept of ES to promote informed decision making is an activity involving multiple disciplines, meeting challenges such as those identified by Pooley et al (2014): ''methodological challenges, value judgments, theories of knowledge, disciplinary prejudices, and interdisciplinary communication''. Their suggested ingredients for a successful multiple disciplinary project include explaining methods, developing a shared language, and facilitating on-going communications (Pooley et al 2014).…”