Record Details
Exploring Roles for Scientists and Simulation Models in Collaborative, Science-Based Ecosystem Restoration
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Exploring Roles for Scientists and Simulation Models in Collaborative, Science-Based Ecosystem Restoration |
| Names |
Hughes, John
(creator) Steel, Brent S. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2015-06-10 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2015 |
| Abstract | The U.S. Forest Service’s Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) seeks to encourage collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration of forest landscapes. Many theorists note a tension between participatory approaches in governance and the certainty and control that science is said to offer. This research explores how collaboration and science are currently being integrated in natural resource management through a qualitative examination of two forest collaborative groups that have interacted with a team of scientists proposing participatory simulation modeling. In particular, this study asks the question: among participants engaged in collaborative ecosystem restoration, what are the expectations for and perceptions of, the role of simulation models and scientists? Although this study centered on the potential use of simulation models, it also concerns itself with the role of scientists in the collaborative groups in general. Participants from two collaborative groups engaged in the CFLRP in Central Oregon were selected using a purposive sampling strategy and interviewed using semi-structured interview techniques. Interviews were recorded, coded and then analyzed with themes from the post-normal science framework and the participatory GIS and science integration literature. The results of this study suggest that the participants in these two groups have different strategies for incorporating science into their process and different expectations for the role of simulation models and scientists. One group in particular conforms more closely to post-normal science concepts and favored using a simulation model for the purpose of supporting open-ended discussion and having scientists enter into a shared learning process with them. |
| Genre | Research Paper |
| Topic | Environmental Policy |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/56164 |
