Navigating the science policy interface: A co-created mind-map for early career researchers

Abstract

The science-policy interface (SPI) is a complex space, in theory and practice, that sees the interaction of various actors and perspectives coming together to enable scientific knowledge to support decision-making. Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are increasingly interested in engaging with SPI, with the number of opportunities to do so increasing at national and international levels. However, there are still many challenges limiting ECRs participation, not least how such a complex space can be entered and navigated. While recommendations for engaging with SPI already exist, these do not always connect deeply enough with the context in which ECRs find themselves working. With the purpose of facilitating the engagement of ECRs working in biodiversity and ecosystem services in SPI, the authors have co-created a ‘mind-map’ - a navigational aid to help understand the landscape of and leverage access to SPI. This mind-map was developed through reviewing published literature, collating personal experiences of the ECR authors, and collecting perspectives in an ECR workshop during the 7th Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This co-created mind map sees ECR engagement in SPI as an interaction of three main factors: the environment of the ECR, which mediates their acts of engagement with SPI leading to outcomes that will ultimately have a reciprocal impact on the ECR’s environment.