Changing Expectations for Science and Scientists in Natural Resource Decision Making: A Case Study of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program

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While most theorists and participants have normative expectations that including ecological scientists and scientific information will improve the quality of natural resource decisions, there is little empirical research that clearly verifies such benefits. Indeed, our previous research on this topic reveals significant differences among scientists, natural resource managers, leaders of NGO's, and the attentive public in the Pacific Northwest about what role science and scientists should play in the policy process. Interestingly, scientists were the most skeptical about the objectivity of their research, their ability to provide scientific answers and, to effectively engage in the environmental policy process (Lach et al, 2003; Steel et al., 2002). However, the extent to which these patterns hold outside the Pacific Northwest remains in question. This research extends our previous work funded by the National Science Foundation to the national group of scientists participating in the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program and includes in-depth case studies of selected LTER sites. Our objectives include: (1) describing the perceptions, experiences, and expectations of participants regarding the role of ecological scientists and the use of scientific information in natural resource decision making; (2) examining and characterizing the impact of site specific characteristics that may impede or promote the use of science and scientists in the environmental policy process; (3) characterizing the means, obstacles, and strategies for effective integration of science in resource management decisions; and (4) expanding our theoretical and empirical understanding of how scientists and their scientific knowledge are utilized in resource decision making and management. The purpose of this study is to replicate our regional pilot study nationally and collect data from a full range of scientists and other participants in resource management about their attitudes and expectations for the changing roles of ecological science and scientists in the environmental policy process. The research will be conducted in two phases: (1) a national survey of all current LTER scientists using the protocol developed in the pilot study and, (2) development of five case studies at LTER sites where there has been engagement in policy issues by LTER scientists. Data for the case studies will be collected from three sources: (1) published stories about the site and documentation by LTER scientists about their policy interactions; (2) focus group interviews with representatives from each of the four groups (ecological scientists, resource managers, leaders of interest groups, and the attentive public); and (3) a mail out survey to a sample of managers, interest group representatives, and members of the attentive public at each study site. The proposed research will extend general understanding of the expectations that participants have about the appropriate roles of ecological science and scientists in the policy process. We will be able to better describe how participants view the nature and functions of ecological science and scientists in public decision processes, how efforts to involve ecological information and scientists in management processes and public outreach efforts by scientists are affected by perceptions of the role of science, and how various site factors (e.g., types of science employed, nature of the issues investigated, and their context) influence the process. Training will also be provided to interested scientists about effective engagement in resource decision-making.