linking environmental research and practice lessons from the integration of climate science and...
TRANSCRIPT
Linking Environmental
Research and PracticeLessons from the Integration of Climate Science and Water
Management in the Western United States
Daniel FergusonJennifer Rice
Connie Woodhouse
SARP Webinar Series: Stakeholder Communication
April 17, 2014
how do collaborations between resource
management professionals and scientists actually
happen?
TUCSON
DENVER
SEATTLE
How have water resources professionals and climate researchers in these
three cities interacted?
What are the most salient lessons that we can learn from
these interactions?
how did we answer these questions?
• ~ 30 interviews with water resources pros and climate researchers with experience in science-management collaborations
• formed and utilized a project advisory committee
• final workshop with blend of initial project participants + experts who had not taken part in the project, but who have diverse experience with researcher-practitioner collaborations.
Paul FlemingSeattle Public Utilities
Amy SnoverU of Washington
Ralph MarraTucson Water (retired)
Jeff LukasU of Colorado
Ries LindleyTucson Water (retired)
Gregg GarfinU of Arizona
Laurna KaatzDenver Water
project advisors
climas.arizona.edu/publication/report/linking-environmental-research-and-practice
ten heuristics* to guide scientist-
practitioner collaborations
ten heuristics* to guide scientist-
practitioner collaborations
* Why heuristics?
Because they’re not rules, they’re not principles, they’re not even guidelines. What follows are
essentially rules of thumb based on the kind of trial-and-error learning that comes from experience.
Preconditioning activities can set the stage for collaboration.
Casual interactions may ultimately
lead to a collaboration
1.
Information brokers are often central to
successful collaborations.
Mike CrimminsU of AZ
Climate Extension Specialist
Laurna KaatzClimate Scientist
Denver Water Planning Division
2.
Brokers can place emerging research in the context of an existing body of knowledge, larger questions, management challenges, and management tools.
Building capacity to work across the science-practice boundary is
critical.3.
• individuals conscientiously focusing on learning how to do researcher-practitioner collaborations
• motivated individuals focusing on building institutional capacity to understand and value these types of collaborations
• cross-training opportunities, internships/externships, institutional proselytizing about collaborative work
Catalyzing events provide prime opportunities for collaboration.4.
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/2002/ann
Catalyzing events provide prime opportunities for collaboration.4.
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/2002/ann
Meko et al. GRL 2007Colorado River Flow, 762-2005
Catalyzing events provide prime opportunities for collaboration.4.
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/2002/ann
"Following Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg convened the Second New York City Panel on
Climate Change in January 2013 to provide up-to-date scientific information and analyses on
climate risks for use in the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency.”
New York City Panel on Climate Change, 2013: Climate Risk Information 2013: Observations, Climate Change Projections, and Maps. C. Rosenzweig and W. Solecki (Editors), NPCC2. Prepared for use by the City of New York Special Initiative on Rebuilding and Resiliency, New York, New York.
Successful collaboration requires
mutual respect.
5.
Successful collaboration requires
mutual respect.
5.
research can be more useful for practitioners if purposeful work is done by participants from both communities to shrink the gap between the way researchers conceptualize a problem and the ways that practitioners conceptualize the same problem.
One basic conclusion from this work:
climas.arizona.edu/publication/report/linking-environmental-research-and-practice
All 10 heuristics + lots of other
stuff in the full report
The
Sectoral Applications Research Program
within the NOAA Climate Program Office who provided funding for this work.
Thanks to:
And our project advisory committee who provided invaluable guidance and feedback. And finally the
approximately 45 project participants who shared their knowledge and experiences as part of this research, both
through interviews and the project’s final workshop.
