Science, Information, and Policy Interface for Effective Coastal and Ocean Management

This book provides a timely analysis of the role that information—particularly scientific information—plays in the policy-making and decision-making processes in coastal and ocean management. It includes contributions from global experts in marine environmental science, marine policy, fisheries, public policy and administration, resource management, risk management, and information management.

The book is divided into four sections that provide focused analyses, including

• An overview of the characteristics of the science–policy interface, including a discussion of the role of scientific information in policy making and an argument that the term "science–policy interface" is inaccurate due to the existence of many possible interfaces
• Descriptions of fundamental concepts and principles for understanding the role of information in effective integrated coastal and ocean management
• National and international case studies that illustrate key factors in successful science–policy interfaces, such as awareness, communication, and use of information
• Critical issues and future research challenges

The book also explores the different types of science–policy interfaces existing within and between different organizations, as well as the various roles that different types of non-governmental organizations play in producing and disseminating information.

presents a wealth of knowledge that enhances current best practices to achieve more effective communication and use of marine environmental information. Useful to all major groups in the policy-making process, from senior policy- and decision-makers to practitioners in coastal and ocean management, it helps to increase understanding of catalysts and barriers to communicating research findings. It also serves as a starting point for further research and progress in efficient marine environment management.

The Open Access version of this book, available at https://doi.org/10.1201/b21483, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Bertrum H. MacDonald is professor of information management in the School of Information Management and dean of the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He holds a PhD and MLS in information science. His research investigates the dissemination and use of scientific information in historical and contemporary contexts. He is particularly interested in interdisciplinary research which led to the launch of the Environmental Information: Use and Influence research program at Dalhousie University. Since the mid-2000s, he and his research colleagues, along with a multidisciplinary team of students, have pursued research about information activities at the science–policy interface in marine management in collaboration with provincial, national, and international governmental and intergovernmental organizations. He has held a Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, won the international Grey Net Award with his Dalhousie colleagues, and was awarded the Marie Tremaine Medal, the highest honour of the Bibliographical Society of Canada. In addition to administrative leadership at Dalhousie University, he is currently serving in executive positions with local, national, and international associations.

is a postdoctoral fellow with the Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) research program. Her research focuses on the role of scientific information in policy- and decision-making for marine fisheries management. She holds an interdisciplinary PhD and a master’s degree in marine management from Dalhousie University. Prior to joining EIUI, she was a government fisheries scientist in Trinidad and Tobago, where she worked closely with the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism and the Food and Agriculture Organization. She has published extensively in the technical report series of these organizations. She has also worked with the fishing industry in a range of activities, including tropical freshwater aquaculture farming and at-sea trawl gear testing. Her current interests include understanding the role of scientific information in policy- and decision-making in fisheries management organizations.

is assistant professor of environmental studies at Franklin and Marshall College and an adjunct at Dalhousie University. She holds a PhD in geography, cosupervised in laws, from University College London. Her research and teaching center on environmental governance, focusing on the conservation and management of marine ecosystems and species, and improving the science–policy interface in environmental decision-making. She is particularly interested in the challenges of effectively implementing marine protected areas and biodiversity conservation worldwide. She has an international and interdisciplinary background and has also worked in the nonprofit sector, including positions with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Environment Center, and the American Museum of Natural History. She is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, and has served on advisory boards for World Wildlife Fund Canada and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

is an adjunct professor at Dalhousie University and a senior research fellow at International Ocean Institute, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He holds a PhD in zoology from the University of Guelph. He worked as a marine scientist and aquatic toxicologist for the Canadian Federal Government for 34 years, retiring from Environment Canada in June 2006. His academic interests include marine ecotoxicology, marine information management, and community service on issues affecting the Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine and North-West Atlantic. He has written, contributed to, or edited over 300 primary and technical publications on water pollution and marine environmental science, including several books. He is the current editor of the Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science. He has served on various national and international technical committees, including the National Academy of Sciences (USA), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the United Nations. He was a long-serving member of the United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection. He also serves as co-lead of the Environmental Information: Use and Influence research program, which initiated this book, and has received several honors and awards.