Coproduction is an approach to conducting science that focuses on scientists and resource managers working closely together to produce actionable products that are used to inform natural resource management decisions. This project will develop a toolkit to facilitate coproduction between the Bureau of Land Management and the USGS.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is committed to making science-informed decisions (BLM 2015). 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 needs. Read Meadow et al. 2015 and Beier et. al 2017 for more on coproduction and its applications. Previous research (and staff experiences) have shown that coproduced knowledge and tools are more likely to be seen as credible, relevant, and timely (Cash et al. 2003, Dilling and Lemos 2011).
Project Goal and Objectives:
The goal of this project is for BLM and USGS to work together to help their scientists and resource managers better understand and implement coproduction.
Our objectives are to:
1) Clarify and describe key aspects of coproduction for federal agencies, including roles, responsibilities, challenges, and benefits. With this understanding, USGS and BLM staff will be better able to intentionally engage in a level of coproduction that best suits their projects.
2) Identify, develop, and share information, tools, and best practices that together will comprise a ‘Toolkit for Coproduction in the BLM’ that can help inform and guide future coproduction efforts. The toolkit will include materials, approaches, examples, templates, and other products that can support meaningful and ongoing coproduction between the BLM, USGS, and other science providers.
Approach:
USGS and BLM are coproducing this effort together with other partners in the US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
Anticipated Benefits:
We anticipate that the resulting toolkit can help BLM receive greater benefits from the science and research efforts that it supports, including projects that are better designed to answer key management questions, and products that are tailored for easy integration into analyses and work processes.
Developing a step-by-step process for assessing cumulative effects in the Bureau of Land Management
- Overview
Coproduction is an approach to conducting science that focuses on scientists and resource managers working closely together to produce actionable products that are used to inform natural resource management decisions. This project will develop a toolkit to facilitate coproduction between the Bureau of Land Management and the USGS.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is committed to making science-informed decisions (BLM 2015). 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 needs. Read Meadow et al. 2015 and Beier et. al 2017 for more on coproduction and its applications. Previous research (and staff experiences) have shown that coproduced knowledge and tools are more likely to be seen as credible, relevant, and timely (Cash et al. 2003, Dilling and Lemos 2011).
Project Goal and Objectives:
The goal of this project is for BLM and USGS to work together to help their scientists and resource managers better understand and implement coproduction.
Our objectives are to:
1) Clarify and describe key aspects of coproduction for federal agencies, including roles, responsibilities, challenges, and benefits. With this understanding, USGS and BLM staff will be better able to intentionally engage in a level of coproduction that best suits their projects.
2) Identify, develop, and share information, tools, and best practices that together will comprise a ‘Toolkit for Coproduction in the BLM’ that can help inform and guide future coproduction efforts. The toolkit will include materials, approaches, examples, templates, and other products that can support meaningful and ongoing coproduction between the BLM, USGS, and other science providers.
Approach:
USGS and BLM are coproducing this effort together with other partners in the US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
Anticipated Benefits:
We anticipate that the resulting toolkit can help BLM receive greater benefits from the science and research efforts that it supports, including projects that are better designed to answer key management questions, and products that are tailored for easy integration into analyses and work processes.
- Science
Developing a step-by-step process for assessing cumulative effects in the Bureau of Land Management
The National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to assess potential impacts of proposed actions as part of their decision-making processes. Due to the complex nature of cumulative effects analyses, many are currently limited in nature. We are working with the Bureau of Land Management to develop a process that staff can use to strengthen cumulative effects analyses.