Abstract
The rapid development of adaptation as a mainstream strategy for managing the risks of climate change has led to the emergence of a broad range of adaptation policies and management strategies globally. However, the success of such policies or management interventions depends on the effective integration of new scientific research into the decision-making process. Ineffective communication between scientists and environmental decision makers represents one of the key barriers limiting the integration of science into the decision-making process in many areas of natural resource management. This can be overcome by understanding the perceptions of end users, so as to identify knowledge gaps and develop improved and targeted strategies for communication and engagement. We assessed what one group of environmental decision makers, Australian marine protected area (MPA) managers, viewed as the major risks associated with climate change, and their perceptions regarding the role, importance, and achievability of adaptation for managing these risks. We also assessed what these managers perceived as the role of science in managing the risks from climate change, and identified the factors that increased their trust in scientific information. We do so by quantitatively surveying 30 MPA managers across 3 Australian management agencies. We found that although MPA managers have a very strong awareness of the range and severity of risks posed by climate change, their understanding of adaptation as an option for managing these risks is less comprehensive. We also found that although MPA managers view science as a critical source of information for informing the decision-making process, it should be considered in context with other knowledge types such as community and cultural knowledge, and be impartial, evidence based, and pragmatic in outlining policy and management recommendations that are realistically achievable.
Highlights
Anthropogenic climate change is widely regarded as one of the greatest threats to species and ecosystems, with adverse impacts on the goods and services upon which human welfare depends (Pereira et al 2010, Bellard et al 2012)
Perceptions regarding the risks of climate change Australian marine protected area (MPA) managers have a very strong awareness of the range of threats posed by climate change
We provide a quantitative assessment of the perceptions of MPA managers in relation to the risks of climate change, the importance, role, and achievability of climate adaptation, and the role of science in managing the risks of climate change
Summary
Anthropogenic climate change is widely regarded as one of the greatest threats to species and ecosystems, with adverse impacts on the goods and services upon which human welfare depends (Pereira et al 2010, Bellard et al 2012). Communication, represents an even greater challenge for issues such as climate change, which attracts significant public attention, resulting in most individuals already possessing strong perceptions and beliefs making them highly susceptible to biases (Kahan et al 2012, Leviston and Walker 2012). Such biases may result in decision makers misinterpreting or even refuting the information being presented, preventing the integration of the information into the decision-making process (CRED 2009)
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