Using systematic review methodology to establish an evidence base for implementation of the Environment Agency Wales Climate Change Strategy

在科学研究和政策/实践之间的界面上，环境管理方面缺乏知识对话。该项目发展了班戈威尔士大学循证保护中心（CEBC）的科学家与环境署决策者之间的现有伙伴关系，其主要目标是根据卫生保健研究和实践领域所建立的协议进行修改，通过循证框架开发和实施环境管理知识转移模式。这一伙伴关系是通过NERC知识转移赠款建立的，目的是为生物多样性保护制定一个以证据为基础的框架。该方案的成功鼓励双方探索将方法从生物多样性管理扩大到更广泛的环境管理问题。以证据为基础的保护中心将进行系统的审查和传播研究证据，以支持使用通过目前的知识转移方案建立的方法进行决策。这项工作需要一名在CEBC小组内工作的受过训练的个人，使用明确和可重复的审查方案系统地搜索和获取相关信息，以避免偏见，解释调查结果并以适合决策者的格式在开放获取的网站上展示。威尔士环境署已经从其气候变化战略实施计划中确定了需要审查的主题领域。原子能机构将评估该项目产生的审查证据，并就其效用反馈信息。产出是推动知识转移的关键一步，向决策者提供系统的无偏见证据审查，以支持环境政策和实践。迄今为止，决策者严重依赖自己的经验，即决策主要基于经验，而不是基于证据。决策者希望并确实在可获得的情况下使用证据，但他们收集的证据并不系统，而且不完整，而且往往有偏见。该框架提供了一种系统、透明和公正的评估证据的方法。这种方法还有其他显著的好处；以证据为基础的框架也是一种确定证据差距从而确定研究优先次序的正式方法。因此，它鼓励研究和用户社区之间的双向信息流动，鼓励朝着更多以需求为导向的研究方向发展。该项目与NERC的目标直接相关，即确保NERC科学有助于公共服务的有效性和人类福祉的可持续性。

There is a lack of knowledge dialogue in environmental management at the interface between scientific research and policy/practice. This project develops an existing partnership between scientists at the Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation (CEBC), University of Wales, Bangor and decision-makers at the Environment Agency with the key aim of developing and implementing a model for knowledge transfer in environmental management through an evidence-based framework following a protocol modified from that established in the field of health care research and practice. The partnership was established through a NERC Knowledge Transfer Grant to develop an evidence-based framework for biodiversity conservation. The success of this programme has encouraged both parties to explore the broadening of the approach from biodiversity management to wider environmental management issues. The Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation will undertake systematic reviews and disseminate research evidence to support decision-making using the methodology established through the current Knowledge Transfer Programme. The work requires a trained individual, working within the CEBC team, to systematically search for and access relevant information using an explicit and repeatable review protocol so as to avoid bias, interpret the findings and present them on an open-access web site in a format suitable for decision-makers. The Environment Agency Wales has identified subject areas for review from its Climate Change Strategy Implementation Plan. The Agency will assess the review evidence produced in this project and feedback information on its utility. The output represents a critical step forward in knowledge transfer in push-delivering systematic unbiased reviews of evidence to decision-makers to underpin environmental policy and practice. To date decision-makers rely heavily on their own experience, i.e. decision-making is largely experience-based rather than evidence-based. Decision-makers want to and do use evidence when available, but what they gather is not systematic, but incomplete and often biased. This framework offers a systematic, transparent and unbiased method of appraising the evidence. The approach has other significant benefits; the evidence-based framework is also a formal method for identifying gaps in evidence and therefore prioritising research. It therefore encourages a two-way flow of information between the research and user communities encouraging a move toward more needs-led research. The project is directly relevant to NERCs aim of ensuring NERC science contributes to the effectiveness of public services and the sustainability of human wellbeing.