Abstract
Due to the urgency and seriousness of the loss of biological diversity, scientists from across a range of disciplines are urged to increase the salience and use of their research by policy-makers. Increased policy nuance is needed to address the science–policy gap and overcome divergent views of separate research and policy worlds, a view still relatively common among conservation scientists. Research impact considerations should recognize that policy uptake is dependent on contextual variables operating in the policy sphere. We provide a novel adaptation of existing policy approaches to evidence impact that accounts for non-evidentiary “societal” influences on decision-making. We highlight recent analytical tools from political science that account for the use of evidence by policy-makers. Using the United Kingdom’s recent embrace of the ecosystem approach to environmental management, we advocate analyzing evidence research impact through a narrative lens that accounts for the credibility, legitimacy, and relevance of science for policy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 849–857 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 14 Mar 2014 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2014 |
Keywords
- Context
- Research impacts
- Narrative Policy Framework
- Diverger
- Converger
- Ecosystem services