“This research is important for the conservation and Management of Sharks”: A proposed framework for ensuring that this is actually true

Abstract

Sharks and their relatives are ecologically important animals that face serious conservation challenges. Scientists studying chondrichthyans have expressed a desire to generate data that helps to conserve threatened species, but environmental advocates and natural resource managers have expressed frustration that significant portions of supposedly policy-relevant and conservation-relevant scientific research are not useful at accomplishing these goals. The phrase “this research is important for the conservation and management of sharks,” which appears frequently in scientific papers and conference presentations about research that managers consider to be of limited or equivocal conservation application, has become a point of frustration, and sometimes even mockery. This perspective article uses data from surveys of shark-focused conservation advocates and natural resource managers, analysis of existing publications, and the authors' own experience in policy-relevant scientific research to discuss strategies for strengthening connections between research and policy applications. It synthesizes feedback into a framework that provides advice to scientists who wish to generate conservation-relevant data, designed for scientists with limited knowledge of the practices or data needs of natural resource management policymaking and environmental advocacy. It also presents the results of a review of papers identified as effectively relating scientific findings to the needs of policymakers or advocates.