Methods for collaboratively identifying research priorities and emerging issues in science and policy

Sutherland, William J.; Fleishman, Erica; Mascia, Michael B.; Pretty, Jules; Rudd, Murray A.

doi:10.1111/j.2041-210x.2010.00083.x

Cited by 319 publications

(381 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…We applied a four-step participatory method based on the ecological or conservation research priority-setting exercise described by Sutherland et al (2011). During these steps a broad range of research questions were identified and collated by the potential users of the research results (policy makers, natural resource managers working for the state, private or NGO sectors), then prioritized by participants of a stakeholder workshop.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the research-practice gap: Conservation research priorities in a Central and Eastern European country

Mihók

Kovács

Balázs

et al. 2015

Journal for Nature Conservation

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Halting biodiversity loss is a critical aim for the forthcoming decades, but is hindered by the gap between research and practice. Bridging this gap is a significant challenge in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, where, compared to Western European countries, biodiversity is higher but the research budget is lower. Approaches to address bridging this gap include participatory research prioritizing exercises. These demand-driven collaborative ranking processes have proven to be a useful tool in providing a research agenda derived from a review of critical challenges based on stakeholder engagement. However, for research agendas to be effectively realized, they are best developed and implemented at the operative level of research financing and implementation. This paper shows the process and the outcome of an exercise conducted in Hungary aiming to compile the most important conservation research questions at the country-level and outlines a set of further measures and tools required for dissemination and advocacy for the research agenda. During the process 792 research questions were collated from conservation practitioners and natural resource managers based on interviews and via an online questionnaire; the final 50 most important questions were identified by practitioners and policy makers during an expert workshop. Questions are embedded in global and EU biodiversity targets and imply a pragmatic approach with the aim of identifying research that supports policy-and decision-making regarding habitat management, landuse and regional development, while also focussing on conflicting issues. The outcome of the process includes the potential for lobbying, therefore post-publication activities and dissemination strategies are outlined as an integrated part of the exercise.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the research-practice gap: Conservation research priorities in a Central and Eastern European country

Mihók

Kovács

Balázs

et al. 2015

Journal for Nature Conservation

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“…To identify the research questions we used the Priority Setting Exercise method established by Sutherland et al (2006), described in Sutherland et al (2011) and modified by Sutherland et al (2013). This brought together a working group of participants in a transparent, collaborative and democratic manner, to reduce an initial, long and unfiltered list of candidate questions through a multistage participatory process to a final, short and democratically agreed list.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The last national census was in 2010 when the population was recorded Sutherland et al (2006), described in Sutherland et al (2011) and modified by Sutherland et al (2013) followed for the generation of the research questions and the prioritisation process to obtain the 50 priority environmental research questions for Galápagos.…”

Section: Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda for Galápagos

Izurieta

Delgado

Moity

et al. 2018

Pac. Conserv. Biol.

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Galápagos is one of the most pristine archipelagos in the world and its conservation relies upon research and sensible management. In recent decades both the interest in, and the needs of, the islands have increased, yet the funds and capacity for necessary research have remained limited. It has become, therefore, increasingly important to identify areas of priority research to assist decision-making in Galápagos conservation. This study identified 50 questions considered priorities for future research and management. The exercise involved the collaboration of policy makers, practitioners and researchers from more than 30 different organisations. Initially, 360 people were consulted to generate 781 questions. An established process of preworkshop voting and three rounds to reduce and reword the questions, followed by a two-day workshop, was used to produce the final 50 questions. The most common issues raised by this list of questions were human population growth, climate change and the impact of invasive alien species. These results have already been used by a range of organisations and politicians and are expected to provide the basis for future research on the islands so that its sustainability may be enhanced.

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“…The listing exercise was conducted by email using established processes for collecting the expertise of a group of experts (Sutherland et al 2011a). We selected a group of experts with extensive knowledge of a range of aspects of ecosystem service research and management.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solution Scanning as a Key Policy Tool: Identifying Management Interventions to Help Maintain and Enhance Regulating Ecosystem Services

Sutherland¹,

Gardner²,

Bogich³

et al. 2014

E&S

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ABSTRACT. The major task of policy makers and practitioners when confronted with a resource management problem is to decide on the potential solution(s) to adopt from a range of available options. However, this process is unlikely to be successful and cost effective without access to an independently verified and comprehensive available list of options. There is currently burgeoning interest in ecosystem services and quantitative assessments of their importance and value. Recognition of the value of ecosystem services to human well-being represents an increasingly important argument for protecting and restoring the natural environment, alongside the moral and ethical justifications for conservation. As well as understanding the benefits of ecosystem services, it is also important to synthesize the practical interventions that are capable of maintaining and/or enhancing these services. Apart from pest regulation, pollination, and global climate regulation, this type of exercise has attracted relatively little attention. Through a systematic consultation exercise, we identify a candidate list of 296 possible interventions across the main regulating services of air quality regulation, climate regulation, water flow regulation, erosion regulation, water purification and waste treatment, disease regulation, pest regulation, pollination and natural hazard regulation. The range of interventions differs greatly between habitats and services depending upon the ease of manipulation and the level of research intensity. Some interventions have the potential to deliver benefits across a range of regulating services, especially those that reduce soil loss and maintain forest cover. Synthesis and applications: Solution scanning is important for questioning existing knowledge and identifying the range of options available to researchers and practitioners, as well as serving as the necessary basis for assessing cost effectiveness and guiding implementation strategies. We recommend that it become a routine part of decision making in all environmental policy areas.

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Methods for collaboratively identifying research priorities and emerging issues in science and policy

Cited by 319 publications

References 27 publications

Bridging the research-practice gap: Conservation research priorities in a Central and Eastern European country

Bridging the research-practice gap: Conservation research priorities in a Central and Eastern European country

A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda for Galápagos

Solution Scanning as a Key Policy Tool: Identifying Management Interventions to Help Maintain and Enhance Regulating Ecosystem Services

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