Developing Analysis with the Decisionmaking Scale in Mind
View on Landscapes for People, Food, and Nature website"As environmental and resource challenges become more complex—think climate change—sensible land use policy will require sophisticated and integrated analyses, looking at the holistic level of the landscape, not just its individual components. This has important implications for the design of research efforts and the communication of their results. In February, I participated in a National Press Club event on landscape strategies and climate challenges that provoked an interesting dialogue on these topics.
This post originally appeared on the Resources for the Future blog. It is re-posted here with permission.
What lessons can be drawn from experience and practical application of a holistic approach? Having spent most of my career in natural resource science, I look at this question from an analytical perspective. I am also an ecosystem ecologist, so I naturally think in terms of watersheds, landscapes, and their interconnections.
Perhaps the most critical lesson for researchers as they encounter opportunities for research and policy innovation is that the scale of analysis should be commensurate with the scale of decisionmaking. Let me illustrate with two examples—one providing a lesson for what not to do, the other showing the ingredients for success."
