Improving the communication of science in conservation

The incorporation of current scientific research and understanding into on-the-ground conservation projects not only increases the effectiveness of those conservation efforts, it also builds support for their implementation. 

Science-based conservation projects are seen as less biased, and more measurable by people affected by the projects’ outcomes (see, for example, The Nature Conservancy’s “Conservation by Design” paradigm).

The urgent pace of conservation work presents a challenge to getting that current scientific data into the hands of the people formulating and implementing conservation projects.

This challenge has two sides – scientists assume that publishing their studies in technical journals is sufficient to get the information out, and on-the-ground practitioners are too busy with field work to take the time to keep up with the latest research findings (which, as an aside, was one of the impetuses for developing Conservation Maven).  

This disconnect also means that valuable information gleaned and new research questions derived from conservation work do not always make it back to the researchers.

Building communications systems that provide for continuous flow of information in both directions will improve conservation work by incorporating scientific findings into conservation planning and resource management, and by providing valuable feedback to researchers in the form of new questions to ask and real time anecdotes from the field.

A new case study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences serves as an example of the benefits that come from outreach work that includes creative methods for communicating science to diverse audiences. This outreach occured as part of  the creation of marine reserves in California’s Channel Islands.

Scientific working groups had been established to provide ecologic guidelines for the California reserves, and to bring to the process key stakeholders, including commercial fishing operators, elected officials, and coastal communities.  

These working groups realized the need for good data to inform public participation and develop buy-in for the reserves.  A coalition of marine ecologists and communications experts created a booklet and film designed to convey the impact of reserve establishment on marine ecosystems.

The creation of these tools, as well as later updates and the addition of an online, interactive website, led to several realizations about communicating science effectively.

First, having non-scientists review language and format was invaluable in creating a user-friendly yet accurate set of messages.

Second, citation of the original sources of the data was important in establishing that the information in the outreach tools is recognized as accurate and unbiased.

Finally, “an unexpected but useful outcome” of this communications work was the identification of new research topics to answer questions from the audiences to whom the information was presented.    This result emphasizes the need for scientific communication to be interactive and cyclical, not just a one-time presentation of data.

The  process of communicating scientific information is no different from other types of communication – identifying your audiences, developing main messages and desired behavioral outcomes, creating appropriate tools and techniques, and delivering the messages. 

There are NGOs (such as The Biodiversity Project) and private consulting firms (such as Good for Business) that focus on delivering scientific information in credible and accessible ways, so that the work of scientists becomes useful for diverse set of audiences. This includes the practitioners making day-to-day decisions about conserving natural resources.

--Karren Bassler is a contributing writer based in Madison Wisconsin and a consultant with Superior Nonprofits, LLC.

Grorud-Colvert, K., Lester, S., Airame, S., Neeley, E., & Gaines, S. (2010). Marine Reserves Special Feature: Communicating marine reserve science to diverse audiences Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0914292107