Seeking Leopold's Quadrant: How do we foster research that addresses needs of resource-management decision-makers?

Background/Question/Methods

Adaptation to climate change represents an intersection of many professional and disciplinary cultures, and hence comprises a sociological and political challenge as much as a technical one.    Broadly defined, two contrasting groups are critical to successful adaptation:   the community of climate-science researchers, concentrated in universities and science agencies, and the community of resource-management decision-makers, dispersed among federal and state management agencies, NGOs, and private entities.  Decision-makers are often trained in scientific research, and many researchers hope that their work will influence real-world decisions.  In spite of this common ground, relevant scientific knowledge is often applied ineffectively or not at all, while information needs of decision-makers can remain unaddressed by researchers.  These problems arise from a number of sources, including the differing calendars of decision-making and research, the contrasting professional reward structures for researchers and managers, and perhaps most of all the mutual lack of understanding between the communities.  Researchers often lack knowledge of the context in which decisions are made and the most effective ways to provide scientific findings, while decision-makers are frequently unaware of the current state of the science, including capacities for accurate forecasting and the associated uncertainties.

Results/Conclusions

Despite these challenges, numerous case studies exist wherein research has been applied directly and effectively to management decisions in climate-change adaptation.  Successful cases in the Southwest include studies from seemingly remote academic domains such as paleontology and paleoclimatology. A common element of such successful applications has been direct, patient, and persistent engagement between researchers and decision-makers.  A looming challenge is to determine the extent to which generalizations can be drawn from existing case studies – both the successes and the failures.  An emerging ‘science of the practice’, in which the processes of information exchange and engagement are studied, should lead to identification of a set of ‘best practices’ for both researchers and decision-makers.  This should lead in turn to full realization of ‘Leopold’s Quadrant’, a domain where user-inspired research, capable of broad application, is mobilized and applied effectively to address the urgent needs of climate adaptation and other environmental problems.