Poor alignment of priorities between scientists and policymakers highlights the need for evidence-informed conservation in Brazil
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2018
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There is a worldwide claim by environmentalists and scientists that environmental policy usually lackssupport based on scientific evidence. In this work we studied the gap between science and conservationactions in Brazil. We mapped scientific literature on conservation and conducted online surveys withscience experts on biodiversity and policymakers working on a federal sphere. Our results show thatenvironmental issues considered as priority for policymakers did not relate to those suggested by scien-tists and the peer-reviewed literature. According to policymakers, the main barriers to access scientificliterature were time available to read papers, difficulty in understanding technical language and readingin English. Our results confirm that, in general, scientific knowledge is not being sufficiently applied tosupport policies in Brazil. Both scientists and policymakers are responsible for improving communica-tion between their institutions: researchers need to know in advance what are professional policymakers’needs and direct their research towards answering policy-related questions; and policymakers need thatscientific evidences be available in accessible language and up to date. We recommend the developmentof science communication departments at all governmental levels and the establishment of evidence-based research groups and tools. Our findings help to explain the mismatch between science and policyin Brazil and represent a warning to everyone engaged in biodiversity conservation worldwide.
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Evidence-based conservation, Conservation policy, Environmental management, Decision making
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KARAM-GEMAEL, Manoela; LOYOLA, Rafael; PENHA, Jerry; IZZO, Thiago. Poor alignment of priorities between scientists and policymakers highlights the need for evidence-informed conservation in Brazil. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, Rio de Janeiro, v. 16, n. 3, p. 125-132, 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2018.06.002. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2530064418300324. Acesso em: 16 fev. 2023.