Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D.
Amanda Cravens is a Research Social Scientist at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Amanda's interdisciplinary research interests include the translation of scientific information into decision making, policies and institutions that influence environmental management, and understanding the cognitive and social processes that make decision support tools work effectively. Amanda's disciplinary training includes geography, policy/institutional analysis, and the learning sciences. Her research spans resource areas, with recent and current projects focusing on decision support for coastal hazards, human dimensions of ecological drought, socioeconomic aspects of water availability, and land manager decision making in the face of ecological transformation. She is also very interested in the practice of interdisciplinary science and has served as a member of multiple working groups as well as published on the role of creativity in science.
Professional Experience
Research Social Scientist, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR (2023-present)
Research Social Scientist, USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO (2017-2023)
Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow (Social Science), USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO (2015-2017)
Early Career Fellow, Gould Center for Conflict Resolution, Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA (2014-2015)
Dachs Fellow, Stanford Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (2009-2014)
Information Architect and Web Editor, SustainAbility Ltd, London UK (2008-2009)
Fulbright Graduate Fellow (New Zealand) (2006-2008)
Internet Coordinator, Resources for the Future, Washington DC (2005-2007)
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Environment and Resources, Stanford University, 2014
M.A. Geography, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2008
B.A. History, Swarthmore College, 2004
Affiliations and Memberships*
Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (2023 to present)
North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (2015 to 2023)
Science and Products
Social and Institutional Aspects of Natural Resource Decision Making Team (FRESC)
USGS Team Science Curriculum
The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) Triad
State of Our Nation's Coast
Cross-Park RAD Project (CPRP): A Case Study in Four National Parks Investigating How Institutional Context and Emotions Shape Manager Decisions to Resist, Accept, or Direct Change in Transforming Ecosystems
Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) Branch
Public Land Manager Decision-Making Under Ecological Transformation
Building Capacity for Actionable and Interdisciplinary Science Across the Climate Adaptation Science Center Network
So you want to build a decision support tool? Assessing successes, pitfalls, and lessons learned for tool design and development
Conservation Introductions: Enhancing Decision Support for the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands
Designing and Evaluating Decision Support Tools (DSTs)
Human Dimensions of Ecological Drought
Opportunities for improved consideration of cultural benefits in environmental decision-making
Opportunities for improved consideration of cultural benefits in environmental decision-making
Flash drought: A state of the science review
In the two decades, since the advent of the term “flash drought,” considerable research has been directed toward the topic. Within the scientific community, we have actively forged a new paradigm that has avoided a chaotic evolution of conventional drought but instead recognizes that flash droughts have distinct dynamics and, particularly, impacts. We have moved beyond the initial debate over the
Critical stakeholder engagement: The road to actionable science Is paved with scientists’ good intentions
So, you want to build a decision-support tool? Assessing successes, barriers, and lessons learned for tool design and development
The patchwork governance of ecologically available water: A case study in the Upper Missouri Headwaters, Montana, United States
Becoming an actionable scientist: Challenges, competency, and the development of expertise
User engagement to improve coastal data access and delivery
Rapidly assessing social characteristics of drought preparedness and decision making: A guide for practitioners
Getting ahead of flash drought: From early warning to early action
Getting ahead of flash drought: From early warning to early action
Perceptions of conservation introduction to inform decision support among U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees
Science and Products
- Science
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Social and Institutional Aspects of Natural Resource Decision Making Team (FRESC)
Our work uses a range of social science methods including interviews, surveys, listening sessions, workshops, and document analysis, to understand how Department of the Interior land managers and others make natural resource decisions.USGS Team Science Curriculum
USGS scientists are developing a team science curriculum to teach researchers from different fields and backgrounds how to work collaboratively and creatively to address complex environmental challenges, such as the impacts of climate change.The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) Triad
The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) triad, sometimes referred to as the RAD "framework", is a decision-making tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to ecological changes resulting from climate change.State of Our Nation's Coast
Discover USGS products, tools, and data with the Coastal Science Navigator! The Coastal Science Navigator serves as a gateway to USGS Coastal Change Hazards resources and assists users in finding products and tools that will meet their specific needs.Cross-Park RAD Project (CPRP): A Case Study in Four National Parks Investigating How Institutional Context and Emotions Shape Manager Decisions to Resist, Accept, or Direct Change in Transforming Ecosystems
Natural & cultural resource managers are facing a slew of new challenges for managing public lands stemming from climate change and human-driven stressors like invasive species, fragmentation, and new resource uses. In some cases, the very landscapes and species they are managing are changing in significant ways, transforming from one set of conditions to another. As a result, previously successfuSocial and Economic Analysis (SEA) Branch
The Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) branch is an interdisciplinary group of scientists whose primary functions are to conduct both theoretical and applied social science research, provide technical assistance, and offer training to support the development of skills in natural resource management activities.Public Land Manager Decision-Making Under Ecological Transformation
As pressures from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, like invasive species, increase, new challenges arise for natural resource managers who are responsible for the health of public lands. One of the greatest challenges these managers face is that the traditional way of managing resources might not be as effective, or in some cases might be ineffective, in light of transformationalBuilding Capacity for Actionable and Interdisciplinary Science Across the Climate Adaptation Science Center Network
Actionable science has evolved rapidly over the last decade, and the Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) network has established itself as a leader in the field. The practice of actionable science is generally described as user-focused, action-oriented science that addresses pressing real-world climate adaptation challenges. It is also sometimes referred to as usable science, translational ecSo you want to build a decision support tool? Assessing successes, pitfalls, and lessons learned for tool design and development
The purpose of this study is to understand how the USGS is using decision support, learning from successes and pitfalls in order to help streamline the design and development process across all levels of USGS scientific tool creation and outreach. What should researchers consider before diving into tool design and development? Our goal is to provide a synthesis of lessons learned and best practiceConservation Introductions: Enhancing Decision Support for the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands
This research effort is an interagency partnership between U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to systematically explore the issues, viewpoints, and concerns within the Service in relation to conservation introductions. Conservation introduction is the planned, intentional moving of species, populations or genotypes to a location outside a target’s native range.Designing and Evaluating Decision Support Tools (DSTs)
Effective environmental management requires integrating scientific information into complex decision making processes.Human Dimensions of Ecological Drought
Ecological impacts of drought have been rarely considered compared to agricultural or municipal water supply effects. - Publications
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Opportunities for improved consideration of cultural benefits in environmental decision-making
Many cultural benefits of ecosystem services (ES) are difficult to capture in standard ES assessments. Scholars and practitioners often respond to this gap by seeking to develop new scientific methods to capture and integrate the plural values associated with diverse cultural benefits categories. This increasing emphasis on value pluralism represents an essential step toward recognitional justiceAuthorsKristin R. Hoelting, Joshua M Morse, Rachelle K. Gould, Doreen E. Martinez, Rina S. Hauptfeld, Amanda E. Cravens, Sara J. Breslow, Lucas Bair, Rudy Schuster, Michael C. GavinOpportunities for improved consideration of cultural benefits in environmental decision-making
Many cultural benefits of ecosystem services (ES) are difficult to capture in standard ES assessments. Scholars and practitioners often respond to this gap by seeking to develop new scientific methods to capture and integrate the plural values associated with diverse cultural benefits categories. This increasing emphasis on value pluralism represents an essential step toward recognitional justiceAuthorsKristin R. Hoelting, Joshua W. Morse, Rachelle K. Gould, Doreen E. Martinez, Rina S. Hauptfeld, Amanda E. Cravens, Sara J. Breslow, Lucas Bair, Rudy Schuster, Michael C. GavinFlash drought: A state of the science review
In the two decades, since the advent of the term “flash drought,” considerable research has been directed toward the topic. Within the scientific community, we have actively forged a new paradigm that has avoided a chaotic evolution of conventional drought but instead recognizes that flash droughts have distinct dynamics and, particularly, impacts. We have moved beyond the initial debate over the
AuthorsJordan Christian, Mike Hobbins, Andrew Hoell, Jason Otkin, Trenton W. Ford, Amanda E. Cravens, Kathryn Powlen, Hailan Wang, Vimal MishraCritical stakeholder engagement: The road to actionable science Is paved with scientists’ good intentions
To help stakeholders such as planners, resource managers, policymakers, and decision makers address environmental challenges in the Anthropocene, scientists are increasingly creating actionable science—science that is useful, usable, and used. Critical physical geography encourages the engagement of stakeholders in the creation of scientific knowledge to conduct actionable science and produce outpAuthorsAparna Bamzai-Dodson, Amanda E. Cravens, Renee A. McPhersonSo, you want to build a decision-support tool? Assessing successes, barriers, and lessons learned for tool design and development
The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of how the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is developing decision-support tools (DSTs) by documenting successes and barriers across all levels of USGS scientific tool creation and outreach. These findings will help streamline future tool design and development processes. We provide a synthesis of lessons learned and best practices across a spectAuthorsAmanda D. Stoltz, Amanda E. Cravens, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Chung Yi HouThe patchwork governance of ecologically available water: A case study in the Upper Missouri Headwaters, Montana, United States
Institutional authority and responsibility for allocating water to ecosystems (“ecologically available water” [EAW]) is spread across local, state, and federal agencies, which operate under a range of statutes, mandates, and planning processes. We use a case study of the Upper Missouri Headwaters Basin in southwestern Montana, United States, to illustrate this fragmented institutional landscape. OAuthorsAmanda E. Cravens, Julia B. Goolsby, Theresa Jedd, Deborah J. Bathke, Shelley Crausbay, Ashley E Cooper, Jason B. Dunham, Tonya Haigh, Kimberly R. Hall, Michael J. Hayes, Jamie McEvoy, Rebecca L Nelson, Markéta Poděbradská, Aaron R. Ramirez, Elliot Wickham, Dionne ZoanniBecoming an actionable scientist: Challenges, competency, and the development of expertise
Demand has grown for actionable science to support real-world decision-making around climate change and related environmental management challenges. Producing actionable science requires scientists to hold a distinct set of competencies, yet relatively little is known about what these competencies are or how to train scientists to develop them. We conducted interviews with mid- and late-career sciAuthorsJulia B. Goolsby, Amanda E. Cravens, Mary Ann RozanceUser engagement to improve coastal data access and delivery
Executive SummaryA priority of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program focus on coastal change hazards is to provide accessible and actionable science that meets user needs. To understand these needs, 10 virtual Coastal Data Delivery Listening Sessions were completed with 5 coastal data user types that coastal change hazards data are intended to serve: reAuthorsAmanda D. Stoltz, Amanda E. Cravens, Erika Lentz, Emily HimmelstossRapidly assessing social characteristics of drought preparedness and decision making: A guide for practitioners
Executive SummaryThis guide is intended to provide managers, decision makers, and other practitioners with advice on conducting a rapid assessment of the social dimensions of drought. Findings from a rapid assessment can provide key social context that may aid in decision making, such as when preparing a drought plan, allocating local drought resilience funding, or gathering the support of local aAuthorsKatherine R. Clifford, Julia B. Goolsby, Amanda E. Cravens, Ashley E. CooperGetting ahead of flash drought: From early warning to early action
Flash droughts, characterized by their unusually rapid intensification, have garnered increasing attention within the weather, climate, agriculture, and ecological communities in recent years due to their large environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Because flash droughts intensify quickly, they require different early warning capabilities and management approaches than are typically used for slAuthorsJason Otkin, Molly Woloszyn, Hailan Wang, Mark Svoboda, Marina Skumanich, Roger Pulwarty, Joel Lisonbee, Andrew Hoell, Mike Hobbins, Tonya Haigh, Amanda E. CravensGetting ahead of flash drought: From early warning to early action
Flash droughts, characterized by their unusually rapid intensification, have garnered increasing attention within the weather, climate, agriculture, and ecological communities in recent years due to their large environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Because flash droughts intensify quickly, they require different early warning capabilities and management approaches than are typically used for slAuthorsJason A. Otkin, Molly Woloszyn, Hailan Wang, Mark Svoboda, Marina Skumanich, Roger Pulwarty, Joel Lisonbee, Andrew Hoell, Mike Hobbins, Tonya Haigh, Amanda E. CravensPerceptions of conservation introduction to inform decision support among U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees
Executive SummaryAround the globe, fish and wildlife managers are facing increasingly complex management issues because of multiscale ecological effects like climate change, species invasion, and land-use change. Managers seeking to prevent extinctions or preserve ecosystems are increasingly considering more interventionist techniques to overcome the resulting changes. Among those techniques, tranAuthorsNicholas Cole, Julia B. Goolsby, Amanda E. Cravens - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government