Final Report of the Great Lakes Science-Policy Initiative
1. Executive Summary
Creation of public policy based on sound science has long been recognized as a vital need for effective management and protection of the Great Lakes; however, delivering scientific findings to policy-makers in a timely, useful manner has been problematic. Policy-makers have often lacked timely access to scientific information. And when they do have access, this information is often too technical and needs interpretation to be truly useful for decision-making. Clearly, there is a need to strengthen Great Lakes science-policy linkages.
In response to this need, the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), under funding from The Joyce Foundation, initiated a two-year project to help strengthen the science-policy linkage in the Great Lakes Basin. IAGLR believes that this project has laid the foundation for an ongoing exchange of information between scientists and policy-makers to ensure informed management and protection of the Great Lakes. IAGLR is uniquely positioned to strengthen the science-policy linkage because of unparalleled membership of more than 900 scientists and researchers, its world-class repository of scientific knowledge found in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, and its well-recognized and highly effective annual conferences.
As part of the project, IAGLR posted 24 years of the Journal of Great Lakes Research online, in a searchable, printable format. The online availability of the journal has been very well received throughout the Great Lakes Basin. Since going online, the JGLR archive has become the most popular section of the IAGLR web site. Total monthly "hits" on IAGLR's web site now exceed 200,000.
Another major accomplishment of the project was the creation of an Expert Directory. This is a database of the Association's member scientists and researchers who have agreed to serve as expert contacts to policy-makers on various issues. Although it has only been available since late August 2002, there are signs that interest is increasing. For example, visits to the main expert directory page and the number of directory searches have both shown a steady increase through December. Anecdotal feedback has been promising. IAGLR will continue to track and promote usage, and compile feedback for this promising tool.
The project also involved efforts to learn from key scientific and policy organizations within the Great Lakes Basin through surveys and meetings, and three pilot projects to help strengthen the science-policy linkage. Stakeholder input included advice on important Great Lakes issues that could benefit from a strengthened science-policy linkage; an assessment of the resources developed as part of the pilot projects; and recommendations for future actions. Responses to a survey conducted at the beginning of the project guided the selection of three issues that served as the pilot projects for strengthening the science-policy linkage. In addition, stakeholders also provided key recommendations for continuing to strengthen this linkage. Priority recommendations for strengthening the science-policy linkage in the Great Lakes Basin include the following (no rank order implied):
- Undertaking Strategic Planning and Outreach;
- Performing Strategic Evaluation Work;
- Championing Additional Pilot Projects;
- Establishing Scholarships and Fellowships;
- Convening Special Symposia;
- Initiating a Collaborative Interdisciplinary Study or Project;
- Undertaking an Urban Nonpoint Source Pollution Study that Fosters Sustainable Patterns of Land Use Development; and
- Expanding the Focus of the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference.