Summary
The Actionable Science in Conservation project is a collaborative effort between the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes and the Center for Organizational Research and Design. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the determinants of actionable science in conservation. While there has been exponential growth in conservation research, much of this science fails to be translated into practice and policy. Numerous solutions have been proposed to bridge this knowledge-action gap, yet it persists.
This project aims to gain insight from these efforts to address the divide between science and practice divide. We seek to understand how different behaviors of individual scientists, along with characteristics of the institutions where they are based, influence success and failure in knowledge translation.
Publications
- Gerber, L. R., & Raik, D. (2018). Conservation science needs new institutional models for achieving outcomes. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 16(8), 438–439. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1951 (link)
- Gerber, L. R., Barton, C. J., Cheng, S. H., & Anderson, D. (2020). Producing actionable science in conservation: Best practices for organizations and individuals. Conservation Science and Practice, 2(12). https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.295 (link)
- Barton, C. J., Wang, Q., Anderson, D. M., & Callow, D. A. (2021). Synchronizing the Logic of Inquiry with the Logic of Action: The Case of Urban Climate Policy. Sustainability, 13(19), 10625. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910625 (link)
- Carr Kelman, C., Barton, C., Whitman, K., Lhoest, S., Anderson, D. M., & Gerber, L. R. (2022). Five approaches to producing actionable science in conservation. Conservation Biology, 37(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14039 (link)
- Gerber, L. R., Barton, C., & Anderson, D. M. (2023). Aligning the logics of inquiry and action to address the biodiversity crisis. Conservation Biology, 37(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14128 (link)
Tools
The Knowledge Partnership Scorecard (KPS) is designed to facilitate the establishment and management of partnerships between a university and other organizations (other universities, industry, NGOs, etc). It serves three strategic and interrelated functions: partnership guidance, partnership health, and partnership learning.
Partners
- ASU Center for Organization Research and Design
- Earth Leadership Program
- Pew Charitable Trusts
- Wilburforce Foundation
Personnel
Funding
- ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes
- ASU Center for Organization Research and Design
- National Science Foundation – Science of Science and Innovation Policy
Timeline
July 2014 — Ongoing