Champions as Influencers of Science Uptake into Australian Coastal Zone Policy

Australia's coastal environments are exposed to great pressures. Adequate policy and management measures are required to ensure the protection of coastal assets now and for future generational use. However, recent government reports and academic literature have highlighted that improved science...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Coastal management 2014-11, Vol.42 (6), p.495-511
Main Authors: Mumford, Taryn, Harvey, Nick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Australia
champions
Climate change
Coastal
Coastal environments
Coastal management
coastal policy
Coastal zone
Coastal zone management
Communities
Environment
Environmental impact
Environmental management
Environmental policy
Governments
Identification
Internet
Management
Nomination
Peers
Policies
Policy making
Science
science uptake
Strategy
Surveying
Uptake
Uptakes
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Summary:Australia's coastal environments are exposed to great pressures. Adequate policy and management measures are required to ensure the protection of coastal assets now and for future generational use. However, recent government reports and academic literature have highlighted that improved science uptake into policy is needed to ensure coastal communities are protected from impacts such as climate change. The literature suggests that individuals, coined champions, can play an important role in influencing the use of science by policymakers. However, a paucity of research exists surrounding the role of these individuals. This research explores the role of champions in enabling science uptake into policy in the Australian coastal zone, investigating champion characteristics and strategies used in influencing policymakers. A mixed-methods approach to the research was employed, integrating a paper/online survey of people involved in Australian coastal management and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with champions nominated by their peers from the survey. Fourteen key coastal champion characteristics were identified from the survey. Furthermore, the champion interviews identified strategies for influencing science use by policymakers. From these findings a conceptual model was created. In order to enable coastal champions to be fostered, a six-step process was developed that incorporates the use of the conceptual model.
ISSN:0892-0753
1521-0421
DOI:10.1080/08920753.2014.964654