Communicating environmental information to the stakeholders in coastal and marine policy-making: Case studies from Nova Scotia and the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy region |
| |
| Institution: | 1. School of Information Management, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, 6100 University Avenue, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 4R2;2. Marine Affairs Program & School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Management, and the International Ocean Institute, Dalhousie University, 6100 University Avenue, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 4R2;1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA;2. College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX2 7JL, UK;3. Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, PO Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA;1. Department of Geography, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA;2. University of Canterbury Center for Atmospheric Research, Christchurch, New Zealand;3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA;4. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Lansing, MI, USA;1. Shipping Research Centre, PolyU Business School, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hum, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China;2. School of Economics, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China;1. SpeSeas, D′Abadie, Trinidad and Tobago;2. Oceans and Coasts, Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries, Cape Town, South Africa;3. Zoology Department, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa;4. Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai?i at Mānoa, Honolulu, United States;5. Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Australia |
| |
| Abstract: | This study examined the awareness of, use by, and influence on stakeholders in coastal and marine policy-making in Eastern Canada and the United States of environmental publications produced by government agencies. Research was conducted in collaboration with government agencies and the publications evaluated were: (1) The 2009 State of Nova Scotia's Coast Report, released by the Government of Nova Scotia; and (2) The State of the Gulf of Maine Report, released by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment. Studying the use and influence of such reports is essential to assure accountability for use of public funds and for environmental protection. Interviews and surveys, web analytics, media scans, and citation analysis were conducted shortly after public release of the reports. The views of multiple stakeholders were considered, including policy and decision makers, scientists, industry, and the public. While produced for different audiences and in different formats, the two reports are important sources of baseline information on regional coastal issues. The methods used to promote awareness of the reports targeted the “interested public”, which included individuals and groups who usually respond to government requests for input, who may be better able to inform policy, and who are already active in coastal zone conservation. Raising awareness and use of information was challenged by the need to communicate environmental information to diverse audiences and to engage the general public (stakeholders and individuals outside of established networks). Results are presented within the context of communication and information pathways at the “science-policy interface”. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
