BRS SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS:

Friday 5 November

Knowledge Exchange for Catchment Management

Ralph Ogden Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Freshwater Ecology &

University of Canberra As a result of NRM regionalisation, it is now important that catchment managers and regional and communitygroups have the appropriate knowledge and capacity to make sound investment and management decisionsfor their new areas of responsibility. A common way these groups obtain knowledge relevant to them is viaR&D partnerships. Partnering does not guarantee that science will become embedded in catchment management. Activeprocesses are required to accomplish the transfer of knowledge generated by research. Knowledgeexchange (KE) is one of these, facilitated by the activities of 'knowledge brokers'. KE can be distinguishedfrom related processes such as communication, adoption, technology transfer and extension. Natural resource managers at all levels - community to senior government - normally get knowledge from thefirst available trusted source, not by trawling all the literature on a topic. This means that effective KE relieson building relationships, and synthesising and fashioning knowledge into a form that is readily used bymanagers. The talk will give examples of some processes that contribute to KE. Bio: Ralph Ogden

• Ralph Ogden is the Director of the Knowledge Exchange program for the Cooperative ResearchCenter for Freshwater Ecology (CRCFE). The CRCFE is a partnership of 14 water andenvironment agencies, and 6 knowledge providers (universities and CSIRO), whose aim is toimprove the condition of Australia's inland waters. The Knowledge Exchange group appliesecological knowledge to the conservation of river-floodplain systems.

• He has carried out research at CSIRO Land and Water, the University of Canberra, andAustralian National University in the areas of ecology, palaeoecology and geomorphology. Hehas studied the impacts of land use on billabongs, the drivers of physical habitat in rivers, andthe dependence of floodplains on flooding for their health.

• Prior to becoming a research scientist he worked as a research assistant in environmentalhistory and immunology. Dr. Ogden has also been active in community organisations in theenvironment and mental heath sectors.

11.00am - 12:00noon (Morning tea at 10:45am)Edmund Barton Conference Centre (in the courtyard)

Edmund Barton BuildingKings Avenue, Canberra

Bookings not required.For further details, please call the BRS Seminar Coordinator on 6272 3440.

For further information on BRS Seminars or to obtain papers/presentations supplied byprevious seminar presenters, please visit our website at: www.brs.gov.au/brsseminars

Getting science to contribute todecision making & natural

resource managementAssoc. Prof. Ralph Ogden

CRC for Freshwater EcologyNovember 5, 2004

Some knowledge-related objectives indecision making

Organisational level:• Have policy formulation & decision making reflect

best available scienceSection/personal level:• Do a lot of problem solving• Obtain the right info• Ensure that knucklehead in the next cubicle

understands…

How can you accomplish these?

Talk outline – science ‡ decision making

• Perspective on the players – you & yourclients, researchers, community,knowledge staff

• Key factors within your organisation– Strategy– Research investment & knowledge exchange– Knowledge management

• Broader picture for knowledge exchange– Strategy, language & behavior– Processes & procedural justice

Talk outline – science ‡ decision making

• Perspective on the players – you & yourclients, researchers, community,knowledge staff

• Key factors within your organisation– Strategy– Research investment & knowledge exchange– Knowledge management

• Broader picture for knowledge exchange– Strategy, language & behavior– Processes & procedural justice

Knowledge Seeking Strategies of Natural ResourceProfessionalsSynthesis of a Workshop held in Bungendore, NSW from 5-7th June 2000Peter Cullen et al.CRC for Freshwater Ecology Technical Report 2/2001

Natural resource (NR) managers

Barriers to gaining knowledge –natural resource professionals

• Too much information – overload;• Lack of time to seek information; poor access to

info; may have poor searching skills;• Lack of time and energy to synthesise knowledge• May have poor grasp of existing knowledge base

and be unable to frame an answerable question.

Knowledge seeking strategies –natural resource professionals

NR managers seek info from the firstavailable trusted source

(cf. ‘growers’ – personal contact with large#s of people)

Prefer face-to-face

Researchers

• Trained in research not NRM decision making• Perfectionists, work well to a single objective• Rewarded for papers > applying knowledge

Community

• Diversee.g. scope of activity:community > decision makers, > scientists

NR managers

• Individuals distant from power and NRMdecision making – tend to feeldisenfranchised

• Can be collectively strong

Knowledge staff

Knowledge brokers• Synthesise knowledge• Build & use relationships• Generalists• Outputs:

– broad messages– specialist advice to policy & decision makers,

e.g. expert panels– ‘real-time’ advice to operational staff

Knowledge staff

Specialist product staff• Communicators, marketers, software

engineers…• Types of products:

– Prediction, optimisation, scenario evaluationtools for decision support

– Planning tools– Integrated databases and tools for NR

accounting (e.g. water)– Integrated monitoring and assessment tools

Talk outline – science ‡ decision making

• Perspective on the players – you & yourclients, researchers, community,knowledge staff

• Key factors within your organisation– Strategy– Research investment & knowledge exchange– Knowledge management

• Broader picture for knowledge exchange– Strategy, language & behavior– Processes & procedural justice

Key factors – within organisation

1. Define strategic and operational businessneeds in detail

• Don’t focus on issues and perceivedknowledge needs

– More likely to result in failure of researchers todeliver exactly what the investor wanted

Key factors – within organisation

2. Be an active participant in your R&Dinvestment

• Understand & seek research/partnerships

Three broad kinds of research

1. Foundation/strategic researcha. Curiosity basedb. Supports other kinds of research rarely leads to

applied outcomes2. Research to support policy

a. Developed and transferred through relationshipsb. NOT portable, transparent, repeatable

3. Knowledge to support industry operationsa. Knowledge packaged into products that can be

easily integrated into business operating systems.b. Portable, transparent, repeatable

Research drivers

Foundation research – scientists perceptionof knowledge gaps

Research to support policy – managersknowledge needs

Research to support operations – productspecs

Business activity

Plant biology

Freshwaterecology?

Soil science

BRS

Economics

Business activity

Plant biology

Freshwaterecology?

Soil science

BRS

Economics

Key factors – within organisation

2. Be an active participant in your R&Dinvestment

• Understand & seek research/partnerships• Be conscious of your research user-provider

model– e.g. ‘purchaser-provider’ needs a very smart

purchaser who can define exactly what they want– rarely the case for environment and natural

resources management issues• Often best to embed end-users in R & D

delivery process from day 1

Key factors – within organisation

2. Be an active participant in your R&Dinvestment (continued)

• Develop an on-going and active‘knowledge exchange’ process connectingresearch outputs with end-users

• Don’t rely on final research project reports(what guarantee they will address yourcore business?)

A Knowledge Exchange Team

The other Knowledge Exchange Team

• Our scientists (>50) & staff• Departmental staff• Departmental champions

Dept – researcher relationship

• Relationship with researchers – create ‘win –win’ situations- Substantial time investments require awards- Working with govt not recognised in award

structures- Can you clearly articulate a reason why scientists

should be involved?

Key factors – within organisation3. Develop knowledge management processes• Must manage the knowledge asset over time or its

value rapidly diminishes• Good management includes:

– Broad and easy access to data & knowledge for the widerange of end-users (web based)

– High quality inventory & library systems with key wordsearchable databases, and easy retrieval options

– Means for tagging obsolescence and knowledge updatesfrom new sources

– Investment in a knowledge asset replacement strategy ie.plans for renewing an organisation’s knowledge capital,not just running it down

Talk outline – science ‡ decision making

• Perspective on the players – you & yourclients, researchers, community,knowledge staff

• Key factors within your organisation– Strategy– Research investment & knowledge exchange– Knowledge management

• Broader picture for knowledge exchange– Strategy, language & behavior– Processes & procedural justice

Need structure

• Strategy• Project management• Opportunity repellents

Need processes…

• That produce rigorous evidence ‡ credibility• That are

– transparent– involve agency stakeholders– fair (use science to inform policy, NOT as sole basis for policy)

i.e. that build trust

Community understands & is valued

Community engagement Community engagement ––1.1. Promote understandingPromote understanding2.2. ‘‘Due processDue process’’ opportunities for opportunities for

commentcomment3.3. Genuine valuing of communityGenuine valuing of community

knowledge, e.g.knowledge, e.g. Narran Narran Lake Lakeproject interviewsproject interviews

Need processes…

• That produce rigorous evidence ‡ credibility• That are

– transparent– involve agency stakeholders– fair (use science to inform policy, NOT as sole basis for policy)

i.e. that build trust• That work to the same script, e.g. a common vision &

goals, including the community

Work towards a common goal

Common language

• Common goals & language to expressthese, and common understanding

River health as a goal

• Healthy river (Ralph Ogden) Capacity tomaintain river functions and biota in a naturalcondition.

• Healthy working river A managed river in whichthere is a sustainable compromise, agreed to bythe community, between the condition of thenatural ecosystem and the level of human use

• River condition Capacity to maintain riverfunctions and biota– compared to reference or target condition

Need processes…

• That produce rigorous evidence ‡ credibility• That are

– transparent– involve agency stakeholders– fair (use science to inform policy, NOT as sole basis for policy)

i.e. that build trust• That work to the same script, e.g. a common vision &

goals, including the community• That promote ‘shared behaviors’

Promote shared behaviors

• Community response to new science – somelevel of acceptance rather than an adversarialapproach

Common understanding about biota…

… and water quality …

…and their relationship to aquatic habitats…

…processes…

…and resource development.Changes to• flow regime• removal of snags• channel erosion• sediment deposition• reduced water quality (esp.

turbidity, salinity)• pesticides• riparian disturbance• exotics (e.g. carp)

Promote shared behaviors

• Community response to new science – somelevel of acceptance rather than an adversarialapproach

• Scientists provide advice, not advocacy(admit when there is no impact!)

• Mutual respect – OK to disagree but do sowith respect!

Final word

• Talk to others giving knowledge exchangea go – it’s a brave new world and we areconstantly learning

Some examples of knowledgeexchange

Living Murray science informing policy

River MurrayExpert panel

Snapshot

MFATREGS

ARC (Audit 1)

research & flows expert panels

LivingMurray 1

SRP reportFirst stepdecision

$500M + $150M, up to 500GL

Future VisionsOther drivers

Otherdrivers

Goulburn Panel, Living Murray

Scientific Panels for environmental flowrecommendations – e.g. Goulburn Scientific Panel –science brought to bear:

– Low-flow (fish) recruitment hypothesis(Campaspe project) ‡ low flows during summer

– Research on native fish movement (D. CrookPhD work) ‡ protection of deep-water (pool)habitat for fish

– Research on productivity vs flow variability(Lowland Rivers project, Associated project onthe Murrumbidgee) ‡ inundation of bench,floodplain and billabong habitat

Flows & SDL in Victoria

Formalised, more transparent ways of determining e-flow values & objectives:

• FLOWS method provides a standardised method fordetermining the environmental flow requirements ofregulated and unregulated rivers throughoutVictoria

• SDL provides rapid determination of diversionpotential of unregulated (ungauged) streamsthroughout Victoria

Deep water Shallow water

Bench inundation Shallow water barriers

Identify flow issuesFloodplain inundation

Low and high flow spells Rates of rise and fall

Link to flow componentsFLOWS method - flow components

Daily flow series

10-1

100

101

102

103

104

01Jul96 01Jan97 01Jul97 01Jan98 01Jul98 01Jan99 01Jul99 01Jan00

Cease to Flow

High Flow

Low Flow

Winter Fresh

Summer Fresh

Bankfull FlowFlow volume ML/d

Daily flow series

10-1

100

101

102

103

104

01Jul96 01Jan97 01Jul97 01Jan98 01Jul98 01Jan99 01Jul99 01Jan00

Cease to Flow

High Flow

Low Flow

Winter Fresh

Summer Fresh

Bankfull Flow

an00

Cease to Flow

High Flow

Low Flow

Winter Fresh

Summer Fresh

Bankfull FlowFlow volume ML/d

Guidelines – managing wood in streams

i.e. more operationally focussed

Narran Community Awareness & Acceptance

• Regular newslettersare mailed to 200stakeholdersconcerned with theNarran LakesEcosystem Project

• Interactive websiteallows individuals tocontribute localinformation about theNarran ecosystem

• ‘Community science’

Have a strategy – have a go – not everything works