Science and Effective Policy for Managing Aquatic Resources

Abstract

Scientists often feel powerless to affect policy on natural resource conservation or management, and managers frequently feel that there is not enough time or money to gather data to enlighten resource management decisions. This article summarizes the discussions in a facilitated workshop that brought together academicians, natural resource managers, and individuals from the private sector to discuss limitations in aquatic resource management policy and how science could be used more effectively in the decision-making process. A major impediment to including science in management and policy decision-making is insufficient dialogue between scientists and managers. For science-based resource management decisions, it is imperative to understand the distinction between science and professional judgment. The former is the acquisition of knowledge by applying the principles of the scientific method, whereas the latter may be based on science-in-progress, has not been subjected to peer review, and can be misrepresented to be science. Resource managers face significant problems making sound, science-based management decisions including: historical antecedents for resource use, changing social values, legal constraints, economics and politics, poorly focused management, plurality and diversity of stakeholders, and the credibility of agency-produced science. Effective conservation of aquatic resources can be undermined by distrust and disagreement between resource users, scientists, agencies, and even among academicians, leading to an atmosphere of “combat biology.” The principles of science should be introduced early in the decision-making process because they encourage articulation of multiple perspectives and fair but rigorous assessment of all hypotheses.