A roadmap for knowledge exchange and mobilization research in conservation and natural resource management

Scholars across all disciplines have long been interested in how knowledge moves within and beyond their community of peers. Rapid environmental changes and calls for sustainable management practices mean the best knowledge possible is needed to inform decisions, policies, and practices to protect biodiversity and sustainably manage vulnerable natural resources. Although the conservation literature on knowledge exchange (KE) and knowledge mobilization (KM) has grown in recent years, much of it is based on context‐specific case studies. This presents a challenge for learning cumulative lessons from KE and KM research and thus effectively using knowledge in conservation and natural resources management. Although continued research on the gap between knowledge and action is valuable, overarching conceptual frameworks are now needed to enable summaries and comparisons across diverse KE‐KM research. We propose a knowledge‐action framework that provides a conceptual roadmap for future research and practice in KE/KM with the aim of synthesizing lessons learned from contextual case studies and guiding the development and testing of hypotheses in this domain. Our knowledge‐action framework has 3 elements that occur at multiple levels and scales: knowledge production (e.g., academia and government), knowledge mediation (e.g., knowledge networks, actors, relational dimension, and contextual dimension), and knowledge‐based action (e.g., instrumental, symbolic, and conceptual). The framework integrates concepts from the sociology of science in particular, and serves as a guide to further comprehensive understanding of knowledge exchange and mobilization in conservation and sustainable natural resource management.     

Weighing empirical and hypothetical evidence for assessing potential invasive species range limits: a review of the case of Burmese pythons in the USA

Range expansion potential is an important consideration for prioritizing management actions against an invasive species. Understanding the potential for range expansion by invasive reptiles such as the Burmese python can be challenging, because the lack of knowledge on fundamental physiological and behavioral constraints initially forces reliance on modeling to predict hypothetical invasive range potential. Hypothetical predictions for Burmese python range limits in the USA have been highly divergent, from only extreme South Florida and the extreme southern Gulf edge of Texas to a broad swath over the southern third of the continental USA. Empirical observations on python thermal tolerances and behavioral abilities to cope with more temperate temperatures became evident during a cold spell in December 2009–January 2010. We review and highlight important considerations for improving invasive range estimation methodology, deciding between competing range predictions, and the importance of having, and applying, empirical data to aid in decision making.     

Mainstreaming the social sciences in conservation

Despite broad recognition of the value of social sciences and increasingly vocal calls for better engagement with the human element of conservation, the conservation social sciences remain misunderstood and underutilized in practice. The conservation social sciences can provide unique and important contributions to society's understanding of the relationships between humans and nature and to improving conservation practice and outcomes. There are 4 barriers—ideological, institutional, knowledge, and capacity—to meaningful integration of the social sciences into conservation. We provide practical guidance on overcoming these barriers to mainstream the social sciences in conservation science, practice, and policy. Broadly, we recommend fostering knowledge on the scope and contributions of the social sciences to conservation, including social scientists from the inception of interdisciplinary research projects, incorporating social science research and insights during all stages of conservation planning and implementation, building social science capacity at all scales in conservation organizations and agencies, and promoting engagement with the social sciences in and through global conservation policy‐influencing organizations. Conservation social scientists, too, need to be willing to engage with natural science knowledge and to communicate insights and recommendations clearly. We urge the conservation community to move beyond superficial engagement with the conservation social sciences. A more inclusive and integrative conservation science—one that includes the natural and social sciences—will enable more ecologically effective and socially just conservation. Better collaboration among social scientists, natural scientists, practitioners, and policy makers will facilitate a renewed and more robust conservation. Mainstreaming the conservation social sciences will facilitate the uptake of the full range of insights and contributions from these fields into conservation policy and practice.     

A Combustion Method for the Determination of Solvent Vapors at Low Concentrations in Air

The nitrogen-containing products of smog chamber reactions have been the subject of much controversy. Concern has arisen over nitrogen products because of the almost universally poor nitrogen balance reported for irradiated mixtures of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. Some possible nitrogen-containing products, such as molecular nitrogen, nitrous oxide, and nitroolefins have been investigated and shown to be unimportant. The nitrogen products most often measured are peroxyacetyl nitrate and residual nitrogen dioxide. These two products rarely comprise more than 70% of the initial nitrogen at the end of an experiment, and often account for less than 50%. Previous experiments in which total nitrate was determined in the gas phase and on the vessel walls at the end of irradiation have shown very good nitrogen balances. The assumption has been made that the nitrate arises from nitric acid formed on the walls by adsorbed N₂O₅.

In the work reported here, all major nitrogen-containing compounds have been monitored continuously for the first time. Nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide have been monitored by chemilumines-cence and automated Saltzman techniques. Methyl, ethyl, and peroxyacetyl nitrate have been determined by gas chromatogra-phy. Two methods, one continuous and one integrated, have been specially developed to measure nitric acid both in the smog chambers and in the atmosphere. Continuous determination of these compounds yields good nitrogen balances throughout the irradiations.

Profiles of the nitrogen-containing species from irradiated HC/ NO_x mixtures are discussed in terms of nitrogen products and nitrogen balance. Differences in product distribution for different hydrocarbon systems are also considered. Using rate information from the nitrogen compound profiles, important reactions leading to nitrogen-containing products are identified. Interference with the chemiluminescent technique by HON0₂, PAN, and C₂H₅ONO₂ is discussed.     

The cave resonator and the Parker Turner cave collapse problem

The Parker Turner cave diving accident was unique. Out of several hundred cave diving fatalities that occurred in Florida during the past 50 years, it is the only one that occurred due to a partial collapse of the cave. Here, we propose a natural physical process that might explain this unique accident.While it is possible that the presence of the divers in the cave while the cave collapsed just happened to occur simultaneously, this is unlikely. It is suggested here that resonance in the air pockets in the cavern (or cave), created by breathing (open circuit) divers, may have contributed to the collapse. We propose that divers present in the cavern during the dive may have (unknowingly) caused the collapse through the pressurized air that they release with each breath. When the breathing period of the diver(s) matches the natural oscillations period of our new “cave oscillator”, the ensuing resonance causes the air pressure in the pockets to increase uncontrollably.We model the system as a non-uniform U-tube filled with water on the bottom and compressed air on top. The top of the tube is sealed on both sides so that the compressed air is trapped in the chambers above the water. The bottom part of the tube represents the water filled cavern (or cave) whereas the vertical tubes represent the air cavities. We show analytically that such a system is subject to natural oscillations with a period of roughly the same as the breathing rate of the typical diver.     

Improving watershed decisions using run-off and yield models at different simulation scales

Water managers face the daunting task of balancing limited water resources with over-subscribed water users among competing demands. They face the additional challenge of taking water planning decisions in an uncertain environment with limited and sometimes inaccurate observed and simulated hydrological data. Within South African watersheds, spatial parameterization data for hydrological models are now available at two different basin management resolutions (termed quaternary and quinary). Currently, water management decisions in the Crocodile River watershed are often made at a more coarse resolution, which may exclude crucial insights into the data. This research has the following aims (1) to explore whether model performance is improved by parameterization using a more detailed quinary-scale watershed data and (2) to explore whether quinary-scale models reduce uncertainty in allocation or restriction decisions to provide better informed water resources management and decision outcomes. This study used the Agricultural Catchments Research Unit (ACRU) agro-hydrological watershed model, to evaluate the effects of spatial discretization at the quaternary and quinary scales on watershed hydrological response and runoff within the Crocodile River basin. Model performance was evaluated using statistical comparisons of results using traditional goodness-of-fit measures such as the coefficient of efficiency (C _eff), root mean square of the error and the coefficient of determination (R ²) to compare simulated monthly flows and observed flows in six subcatchments. Traditional interpretation of these goodness-of-fit measures may be inadequate as they can be subjectively interpreted and easily influenced by the number of data points, outliers and model bias. This research utilizes a recently released model evaluation program (FITEVAL) which presents probability distributions of R ²and C _eff derived by bootstrapping, graphical representation of observed and simulated stream flows, incorporates statistical significance to detect the sufficiency of the R ²and C _eff and determines the presence of outliers and bias. While analyses indicate that the ACRU model performs marginally better when parameterized and calibrated at the quinary scale, the measurements at both scales show significant variability in predictions for both high and low flows that are endemic to southern African hydrology. The improved evaluation methods also allow for the analysis of data collection errors at monitoring sites and help determine the effect of data quality on adaptive water planning management decisions. Given that many water resource challenges are complex adaptive systems, these expanded performance analysis tools help provide deeper insights into matching watershed decision metrics and model-derived predictions.     

A collaborative approach to address the cumulative impacts of mine-water discharge: Negotiating a cross-sectoral waterway partnership in the Bowen Basin,Australia

The social and environmental impacts of rapidly expanding coal and gas industries have generated high levels of public concern and there is increasing evidence of cumulative impacts. In the Bowen Basin of Queensland (Australia) water quality issues have triggered a collaborative response to coordinate monitoring efforts, integrate data and information and undertake regional analysis to inform landscape-scale management. Collaborative governance is promoted as a response to complex environmental problems, such as cumulative impacts. However, application of this approach to the resources and energy sectors remains a significant research gap. This paper reports the results of action research in the 2 years taken to negotiate the establishment of collaborative governance arrangements to address mine-water discharge impacts in the Bowen Basin. The long establishment phase has been required to refine objectives, build trust, develop governance mechanisms and secure resourcing commitments. The partnership established involves more than 20 organisations including regulators, resources and energy companies, agricultural industries and research organisations. The breadth of participating sectors is a significant innovation, but also represents a major challenge in establishing this model of regional environmental governance. Promising strategies adopted to manage these tensions have included neutral brokerage, facilitative leadership, establishing legitimacy of the collaboration and credibility of its reports. The case study provides a cautionary tale of the pursuit of the promise of ‘everyone working together’ to address cumulative impacts. Policy implications include the need for extended commitment and integration of collaborative and other responses.     

Perspectives on Disconnects Between Scientific Information and Management Decisions on Post-fire Recovery in Western US

Environmental regulations frequently mandate the use of “best available” science, but ensuring that it is used in decisions around the use and protection of natural resources is often challenging. In the Western US, this relationship between science and management is at the forefront of post-fire land management decisions. Recent fires, post-fire threats (e.g. flooding, erosion), and the role of fire in ecosystem health combine to make post-fire management highly visible and often controversial. This paper uses post-fire management to present a framework for understanding why disconnects between science and management decisions may occur. We argue that attributes of agencies, such as their political or financial incentives, can limit how effectively science is incorporated into decision-making. At the other end of the spectrum, the lack of synthesis or limited data in science can result in disconnects between science-based analysis of post-fire effects and agency policy and decisions. Disconnects also occur because of the interaction between the attributes of agencies and the attributes of science, such as their different spatial and temporal scales of interest. After offering examples of these disconnects in post-fire treatment, the paper concludes with recommendations to reduce disconnects by improving monitoring, increasing synthesis of scientific findings, and directing social-science research toward identifying and deepening understanding of these disconnects.     

What people think about the environment and its relationship to their health: perceptions of health at different scales of environment in Hamilton,Ontario

This study examines lay perceptions of the environment and its perceived relation to health at three scales: the environment at large, the neighbourhood, and the home. Interviews were conducted with residents from two contrasting neighbourhoods in the industrial city of Hamilton, Canada. The results reveal variations in perceptions of the environment–health link between residents in the two study neighbourhoods as well as across the different scales. Air pollution and proximity to industry were frequently implicated in lay understandings of the general and neighbourhood environments. In contrast, the home environment was seen as relatively insulated and safe. Furthermore, personal control mechanisms (e.g. cleanliness) were believed to mitigate adverse health impacts in the home and yard while the general environment was seen to be outside of such control. The significance of the findings is discussed in terms of future research and policy relevance.