Understanding the Changing Roles of Scientists and Scientific Information in Natural Resource Decision Making: A Pilot Study with the LTER Program

了解科学家和科学信息在自然资源决策中不断变化的角色：LTER 计划的试点研究

• 批准号: 9810029
• 负责人: Bruce Shindler
• 金额: $ 7.52万
• 依托单位: Oregon State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-09-01 至 2000-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9810029&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Understanding; Changing; Roles; Scientists; Scientific

While most theorists and participants expect that-including ecological scientists and information will improve the quality of complex natural resource-decisions, there is little empirical research that clearly verifies such benefits. And, there is-increasing experiential evidence that tensions between the distinct institutional needs and cultural-values of decision makers and scientists may preclude the effective use of science in such-decisions. The goal of this pilot study is to determine whether it is possible to capture and measure-the attitudes and expectations of participants in resource decisions about the changing roles of-ecological science and scientists in a world of decentralized governance, shared power,-collaborative management, and citizen mistrust of experts and government resource agencies. The-pilot study is designed to determine whether complex issues related to the expectations, needs, and-uses of scientists and scientific information can be operationalized clearly enough to be measured-through a structured protocol that can be administered to a wide array of participants in natural-resource decision making. Data for this study will be collected primarily through in-depth interviews with-a wide variety of Pacific Northwest participants in natural resource decision making. Participant-groups will include LTER scientists, federal and state natural resource managers and decision-makers, as well as individuals in the Central Cascades who have been involved in resource-decision processes. Data from the qualitative interviews will be used to operationalize issues of-concern, particularly available roles for ecological science and scientists as well as the institutional-and cultural features that provide incentives and constraints for the effective use of science in-decision making. Questions for a structured survey protocol will be developed from these issues.-To test the protocol for reliability and validity, we will conduct a mail-out survey with a sample of-individuals in the Pacific Northwest who are involved or interested in natural resource decision-making. Data will be collected and managed with the potential for replications at other LTER-research sites as well as other research programs or projects.-If successful, the protocol developed and tested in this pilot effort-can be administered to a wide array of individuals involved in natural resource decision making in-order to understand the expectations and beliefs that all participants have about-the role of ecological science and ecological scientists in those processes. We will be able to better-describe how participants in decision processes view the nature and functions of science in-those processes, how participants' perceptions of the role of-science affect efforts to involve ecological information and scientists in management-processes and public outreach efforts, and how participants perceive different roles that scientists may play in natural resource-decision making. This research will also provide empirical support for issues raised by social-scientists about tensions between the need for scientific expertise in complex decision making and-democratic participation in problem solving.

虽然大多数理论家和参与者都期望，包括生态科学家和信息将提高复杂的自然资源决策的质量，但很少有实证研究明确证实这种好处。而且，越来越多的经验证据表明，决策者和科学家的不同制度需求和文化价值观之间的紧张关系可能会妨碍科学在此类决策中的有效使用。这个试点研究的目标是确定是否有可能捕捉和测量的态度和期望的参与者在资源决策的不断变化的角色，生态科学和科学家在世界上的分散治理，共享权力，协作管理，和公民不信任的专家和政府资源机构。试点研究的目的是确定是否复杂的问题有关的期望，需求和科学家和科学信息的使用可以操作清楚，足以通过结构化的协议，可以管理到广泛的参与者在自然资源决策。这项研究的数据将主要通过深入采访收集各种各样的太平洋西北地区参与者的自然资源决策。专家小组将包括LTER科学家、联邦和州自然资源管理人员和决策者，以及中央瀑布参与资源决策过程的个人。定性访谈的数据将被用来操作的关注问题，特别是生态科学和科学家的作用，以及机构和文化的特点，提供激励和有效利用科学决策的限制。结构化调查协议的问题将从这些问题中发展出来。为了测试协议的可靠性和有效性，我们将进行一个邮寄调查的样本，个人在太平洋西北部谁参与或感兴趣的自然资源决策。数据将被收集和管理，并有可能在其他LTER研究站点以及其他研究计划或项目中复制。如果成功的话，在这个试点工作中开发和测试的协议可以管理到广泛的个人参与自然资源决策，以了解所有参与者的期望和信念，生态科学和生态科学家在这些过程中的作用。我们将能够更好地描述决策过程中的参与者如何看待科学在这些过程中的性质和功能，参与者对科学作用的看法如何影响生态信息和科学家参与管理过程和公共宣传工作的努力，以及参与者如何看待科学家在自然资源决策中可能发挥的不同作用。这项研究也将提供实证支持社会科学家提出的问题之间的紧张局势，需要在复杂的决策和民主参与解决问题的科学专业知识。