Coproduction is a highly collaborative approach to conducting science that focuses on producing actionable products that are used to inform natural resource management decisions. This project will develop an informational toolkit to facilitate coproduction between resource managers and science providers in the context of federal public land management.
Background
Agencies that manage federal public lands and resources, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are committed to making science-informed decisions.1 However, time and resources committed to supporting external science have not always resulted in products with clear application to BLM’s decisions and work processes. Adopting a coproduction approach to conducting science, in which scientists, natural resource managers, and related stakeholders work together on projects as partners, is one mechanism that can help ensure that science requested by resource management agencies will better meet their needs2,3 (see Coproduction Tool #1). Previous research and staff experiences have shown that coproduced knowledge and tools are more likely to be seen as credible, relevant, and timely.4,5
Project goal and objectives
The goal of this project is for BLM and USGS to work together with other partners to develop an informational toolkit to support researchers and land managers in coproducing science projects to support public land management.
Our objectives are to:
- Describe key aspects of coproduction for federal agencies, including roles, responsibilities, challenges, and benefits. With this understanding, science providers and resource managers will be better able to intentionally engage in a level of coproduction that best suits their projects.
- Develop and share information sheets, videos, templates, examples, and checklists that together comprise an informational toolkit to coproduce actionable science for public land management. This toolkit can help inform and support meaningful and ongoing coproduction between science providers and land management agencies.
Anticipated benefits
The coproduction toolkit can help agencies receive greater benefits from the science and research efforts that they fund, including projects that are better designed to answer key management questions, and products that are tailored for easy integration into agency analyses and work processes.
Science-management partnership
USGS and BLM are coproducing this effort together with partners from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service, and North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center.
References
1. Kitchell, K., Cohn, S., Falise, R., Hadley, H., Herder, M., Libby, K., Muller, K., Murphy, T., Preston, M., Rugwell, M.J., and Schlanger, S., 2015, Advancing Science in the BLM: An Implementation Strategy. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Washington, DC, https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/Advancing%20Science%20in%20the%20BLM_Implementation%20Strategy.pdf.
2. Meadow, A.M., Ferguson, D.B., Guido, Z., Horangic, A., Owen, G., and Wall, T., 2015, Moving toward the Deliberate Coproduction of Climate Science Knowledge: Weather, Climate, and Society, v. 7, pp. 179–191, https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-14-00050.1.
3. Beier, P., Hansen, L.J., Helbrecht, L. and Behar, D., 2017, A How-to Guide for Coproduction of Actionable Science: Conservation Letters, v. 10, pp. 288-296, https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12300.
4. Cash, D.W., Clark, W.C., Alcock, F., Dickson, N.M., Eckley, N., Guston, D.H., Jager, J., and Mitchell, R.B., 2003, Knowledge systems for sustainable development: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 100, n. 14, pp. 8086-8091, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1231332100.
5. Dilling, L. and Lemos, M.C., 2011, Creating usable science: opportunities and constraints for climate knowledge use and their implications for science policy: Global Environmental Change, v. 21, n. 2, pp. 680-689, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.11.006.
Learn more about other science related to this project.
Identifying priority science needs for strengthening the science foundation for decision making in the Bureau of Land Management
Using public litigation records to identify priority science and data needs for the Bureau of Land Management
Developing searchable annotated bibliographies for resource managers
Developing short science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decisions in the Bureau of Land Management
Understanding and fostering use of habitat models for rare plants in Bureau of Land Management planning and management decisions
Developing a step-by-step process for assessing cumulative effects in the Bureau of Land Management
- Overview
Coproduction is a highly collaborative approach to conducting science that focuses on producing actionable products that are used to inform natural resource management decisions. This project will develop an informational toolkit to facilitate coproduction between resource managers and science providers in the context of federal public land management.
Background
Agencies that manage federal public lands and resources, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are committed to making science-informed decisions.1 However, time and resources committed to supporting external science have not always resulted in products with clear application to BLM’s decisions and work processes. Adopting a coproduction approach to conducting science, in which scientists, natural resource managers, and related stakeholders work together on projects as partners, is one mechanism that can help ensure that science requested by resource management agencies will better meet their needs2,3 (see Coproduction Tool #1). Previous research and staff experiences have shown that coproduced knowledge and tools are more likely to be seen as credible, relevant, and timely.4,5
Project goal and objectives
The goal of this project is for BLM and USGS to work together with other partners to develop an informational toolkit to support researchers and land managers in coproducing science projects to support public land management.
Our objectives are to:
- Describe key aspects of coproduction for federal agencies, including roles, responsibilities, challenges, and benefits. With this understanding, science providers and resource managers will be better able to intentionally engage in a level of coproduction that best suits their projects.
- Develop and share information sheets, videos, templates, examples, and checklists that together comprise an informational toolkit to coproduce actionable science for public land management. This toolkit can help inform and support meaningful and ongoing coproduction between science providers and land management agencies.
Anticipated benefits
The coproduction toolkit can help agencies receive greater benefits from the science and research efforts that they fund, including projects that are better designed to answer key management questions, and products that are tailored for easy integration into agency analyses and work processes.
Science-management partnership
USGS and BLM are coproducing this effort together with partners from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service, and North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center.
References
1. Kitchell, K., Cohn, S., Falise, R., Hadley, H., Herder, M., Libby, K., Muller, K., Murphy, T., Preston, M., Rugwell, M.J., and Schlanger, S., 2015, Advancing Science in the BLM: An Implementation Strategy. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Washington, DC, https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/Advancing%20Science%20in%20the%20BLM_Implementation%20Strategy.pdf.
2. Meadow, A.M., Ferguson, D.B., Guido, Z., Horangic, A., Owen, G., and Wall, T., 2015, Moving toward the Deliberate Coproduction of Climate Science Knowledge: Weather, Climate, and Society, v. 7, pp. 179–191, https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-14-00050.1.
3. Beier, P., Hansen, L.J., Helbrecht, L. and Behar, D., 2017, A How-to Guide for Coproduction of Actionable Science: Conservation Letters, v. 10, pp. 288-296, https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12300.
4. Cash, D.W., Clark, W.C., Alcock, F., Dickson, N.M., Eckley, N., Guston, D.H., Jager, J., and Mitchell, R.B., 2003, Knowledge systems for sustainable development: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 100, n. 14, pp. 8086-8091, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1231332100.
5. Dilling, L. and Lemos, M.C., 2011, Creating usable science: opportunities and constraints for climate knowledge use and their implications for science policy: Global Environmental Change, v. 21, n. 2, pp. 680-689, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.11.006.
- Science
Learn more about other science related to this project.
Identifying priority science needs for strengthening the science foundation for decision making in the Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is committed to using science-informed decision making for the public lands and resources that it manages. Uses on these lands are varied, and decisions are complex. USGS and BLM are working together to identify specific needs for data, science, methods, and mitigation actions that can strengthen the science foundation for BLM planning and management decisions.Using public litigation records to identify priority science and data needs for the Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages a large area of public lands in the western U.S. for multiple uses and values. Because some of these uses and values may conflict, the agency’s decisions can be controversial and are often challenged. We analyzed public legal records to help identify priority information needs that could strengthen science-based decision-making in the BLMDeveloping searchable annotated bibliographies for resource managers
Resource management decisions need to be informed by up-to-date, quality science and data. However there is sometimes an overwhelming number of scientific publications for managers to consider in their decisions. This project provides concise summaries of recent, peer-reviewed science and data products about different resources and topics of management concern, integrated into a searchable tool.Developing short science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decisions in the Bureau of Land Management
Scientific information is fundamental to understanding how proposed actions on public lands may impact the environment. However, agencies often have limited time to compile and synthesize existing science. We are working with the Bureau of Land Management to develop a new type of science product—short science syntheses—for facilitating use of the best available science in public lands decisions.Understanding and fostering use of habitat models for rare plants in Bureau of Land Management planning and management decisions
The use of rare plant habitat models in land management decisions can be constrained by issues surrounding data access, model quality, and institutional capacity, among other factors. This project seeks to understand challenges associated with using habitat models and explore avenues for addressing these challenges to facilitate greater use of habitat models in public lands decision making.Developing a step-by-step process for assessing cumulative effects in the Bureau of Land Management
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to assess potential impacts of proposed actions as part of their decision-making processes. Assessing potential cumulative effects is a challenging component of NEPA analyses. We are working with the Bureau of Land Management to develop a process that staff can use to strengthen cumulative effects analyses. - News
- Partners