From ships in the night to exchanges in the piazza: Renegotiating the researcher-stakeholder nexus in climate adaptation

Abstract:

A substantial divide remains between the communities of research, embedded largely in universities and science agencies, and the communities of practice, comprising the natural-resource managers and other decision-makers in diverse federal, state, local, and tribal agencies and in private-sector enterprises and organizations. In spite of clear needs and best intentions, engagement among the respective communities is imperfect; researchers and stakeholders are often like ships passing in the night, exchanging brief, cryptic signals. A variety of boundary organizations have been developed to facilitate the communications, and a number of successful models for researcher-stakeholder exchange and engagement have been applied. At least two substantial challenges remain. First, how can the successes be scaled up and proliferated to meet the vast demands posed by climate adaptation? Second, how can the various boundary organizations most effectively foster this expansion, individually and collectively? Meeting these challenges will require coordination among the respective organizations, changes in the cultures of research and management, and careful assessment of process and outcomes.