TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of federal agencies in the application of scientific knowledge
AU - Pouyat, Richard V.
AU - Weathers, Kathleen C.
AU - Hauber, Rick
AU - Lovett, Gary M.
AU - Bartuska, Ann
AU - Christenson, Lynn
AU - Davis, Jana L.D.
AU - Findlay, Stuart E.G.
AU - Menninger, Holly
AU - Rosi-Marshall, Emma
AU - Stine, Peter
AU - Lymn, Nadine
PY - 2010/8
Y1 - 2010/8
N2 - Environmental and ecological research has long been characterized as operating along a continuum, with "basic" - representing "investigator-initiated" research - at one end and "applied" - representing "mission-initiated" research - at the other. While federal agency science programs ideally occupy points along this continuum, the resulting science has not always been relevant to solving environmental problems. Here, we suggest that environmental problem-solving by federal agencies has been less effective than it might have been, because of a need for more effective, long-term strategic planning, cooperation across agencies, and incentives for scientists to participate in policy development and implementation. We make suggestions about what federal agencies can do to improve the integration of science, policy, and natural resource management. First, we refer to agency examples, using regulatory (acid deposition) and land management (national forest) issues to illustrate how environmental research intersects with policy development and its implementation. Second, we discuss the barriers that inhibit the application of scientific knowledge in developing and implementing policy - from the perspective of a federal agency and of an individual scientist. Finally, we generate a series of specific recommendations, targeted at federal agencies, individual scientists, and decision makers.
AB - Environmental and ecological research has long been characterized as operating along a continuum, with "basic" - representing "investigator-initiated" research - at one end and "applied" - representing "mission-initiated" research - at the other. While federal agency science programs ideally occupy points along this continuum, the resulting science has not always been relevant to solving environmental problems. Here, we suggest that environmental problem-solving by federal agencies has been less effective than it might have been, because of a need for more effective, long-term strategic planning, cooperation across agencies, and incentives for scientists to participate in policy development and implementation. We make suggestions about what federal agencies can do to improve the integration of science, policy, and natural resource management. First, we refer to agency examples, using regulatory (acid deposition) and land management (national forest) issues to illustrate how environmental research intersects with policy development and its implementation. Second, we discuss the barriers that inhibit the application of scientific knowledge in developing and implementing policy - from the perspective of a federal agency and of an individual scientist. Finally, we generate a series of specific recommendations, targeted at federal agencies, individual scientists, and decision makers.
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U2 - 10.1890/090180
DO - 10.1890/090180
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77955563152
SN - 1540-9295
VL - 8
SP - 322
EP - 328
JO - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
JF - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
IS - 6
ER -