Boundary spanning increases knowledge and action on invasive species in a changing climate
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- Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, 134 Morrill Science Center University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts USA, Department of Biology University of Saint Joseph West Hartford Connecticut USA
- New York Invasive Species Research Institute, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment Cornell University Ithaca New York USA
- Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution and the High Meadows Environmental Institute Princeton University Princeton New Jersey USA
- Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, 134 Morrill Science Center University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts USA, Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts USA, US Geological Survey 134 Morrill Science Center Amherst Massachusetts USA
- Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, 134 Morrill Science Center University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts USA, Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts USA
Abstract Challenges associated with global change stressors on ecosystems have prompted calls to improve actionable science, including through boundary‐spanning activities, which aim to build connections and communication between researchers and natural resource practitioners. By synthesizing and translating research and practitioner knowledge, boundary‐spanning activities could support proactive, research‐informed conservation practice, but the success of these efforts is rarely evaluated. Using repeat survey data from the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NE RISCC) Management Network, a boundary‐spanning organization, we evaluate whether participating in NE RISCC affected practitioners' knowledge, actions and priorities related to invasive species management under a changing climate. Our survey results suggest that practitioners who participate in NE RISCC have greater knowledge about invasive species and climate change and are incorporating climate change in more ways into their invasive species management. We also found NE RISCC membership affected the perceived usefulness of informational resources, with NE RISCC members more frequently identifying research syntheses and targeted workshops (both are common products used by NE RISCC to translate science into practice and share manager knowledge) as useful compared to non‐members. Practitioners who participate in NE RISCC also identified somewhat different research priorities, with non‐members and short‐term members more frequently identifying range‐shifting neonative species and their impacts on native communities as higher priorities compared to long‐term NE RISCC members. NE RISCC research activities and outreach materials have consistently framed range‐shifting neonative species as comparatively low risk, suggesting that this information has influenced practitioner's perception of risk. Practical implication : Although real‐world impacts of applied ecology are notoriously difficult to quantify, this analysis illustrates that if research results are actively translated, they can affect the knowledge and actions of natural resource practitioners. These impacts illustrate the potential for boundary‐spanning efforts to address other global change challenges to conservation.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0014664
- OSTI ID:
- 2466242
- Journal Information:
- Ecological Solutions and Evidence, Journal Name: Ecological Solutions and Evidence Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 5; ISSN 2688-8319
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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