CSIRO BIOL3305 Talking Science to Policy Makers 2024 PDF

Talking Science to Policy Makers BIOL3305 Brett Molony | Science Director | CSIRO 15th October 2024 Australia’s National Science Agency  By John D. Croft at English Wikipedia,...

Talking Science to Policy Makers BIOL3305 Brett Molony | Science Director | CSIRO 15th October 2024 Australia’s National Science Agency  By John D. Croft at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/in dex.php?curid=41636556 I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land of which we are meeting, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation, and their elders past and present Australia’s National Science Agency www.derbalnara.org.au/whadjuk-boodjar Who am I? Take homes Some reminders The context of science The world is complex The language of science and policy History – legislation is always evolving. Challenges of the modern world - Speed Policy is aspirational Why have you chosen a career in (marine) science? Environmental concerns Make the world a better place Like/love the ocean Want to protect the ocean You dive and/or fish You live on/near the coast now/growing-up/in the future Working to avoid the tragedy of the commons Concerned about Climate change and future Reminder 1… Cultural Economics Social Science Science Minister Decision Decision Science Managers Managers Minister Decision Other stakeholders Politics Philosophers Australia’s National Science Agency  Reminder 2: World is complex Everything is in a system(s) Everything is always changing Mapping complexity (links) allows deeper understanding, of (wicked) problems [Everything is a wicked problem] Multi- and Trans-disciplinary approaches Australia’s National Science Agency [Extra Reminder: Australia’s and WA’s fishery Fisheries are small] How big are Australia’s catches? How big are WA’s catches? [cf WCPFC - 2.4 million tonnes of the top 4 tuna spp] Why? So what? Reminder 3: You will have to communicate to others. How? Papers Reports Media Reminder 3: Science and policy speak different languages Science speaks different languages to most everyday conversations 44 pp!  Uncertainty (ies) Projections Think of what these Scenarios words mean when used Errors in science and how they Risk (based) may be interpreted in Evidence (based) ‘everyday’ use Interventions Engineering biology Reminder : Information scaling Briefing Executive note Summary (1-2 pp) Paper (10 pp) (20 pp) Thesis (300 pp)  e.g. Sharks What have you heard? Too many Not enough Collapsing Role in regulating marine ecosystems Finning Listed/protected? Diverse stakeholder groups – fishers, beach users, conservationists – Others? often have conflicting and/or unclear objectives. The problem is exacerbated when specific species of sharks are referred to using the collective noun, ‘sharks’. This potentially homogenises a large number of shark species, their characteristics and their wider societal values.  xcaliburmp.com Communication: Less is more : Marine seismic surveys What are they ? What are they for? How do they work? xcaliburmp.com And….? Does anyone here drive cars, or cook and/or eat food? Less is more Less is more: RAP 2011 ARMA 2016 Multiple (sometimes) competing pressures Aspirations & Values What might this mean? Policy constantly evolves Story time What is this? Whaling What have you heard?  Whaling in WA Whaling was one of the first viable industries of the Swan River colony from 1829 (first whale captured 1837) Roundhouse tunnel built to allow transport Norwegian company operated near NW Cape form 1912. 1950 – Aust Government commenced whaling Australian Whaling Commission @ Babbage Isl (Carnarvon)Point Close. Sold to Nor’ West seafoods which converted to prawns in 1950s. History of whaling in WA; Sylvia Adam, WordPress.com Policy constantly evolves In late 1978, the whaling station – the last in the English speaking world – closed. That same year, the Australian government passed the Whale Protection Act, which effectively ended commercial whaling in Australian waters.  History 2 - Turtles “The first commercial export of hawksbill tortoiseshell appeared in the Western Australian trade tables in 1869 and the green turtle fishing industry operated intermittently between 1870 and 1961 prior to the industry becoming successfully established in the 1960s. Historical evidence suggests that up to 55,125 (archival records) and 69,000 (oral histories) green turtles were potentially harvested from Western Australian waters prior to the industry being closed down in 1973. ” Halkyard 2014 - Exploiting Green and Hawksbill Turtles in Western Australia: The Commercial Marine Turtle Fishery | SpringerLink ResearchGate, FIGURE 2. A turtle-fishing party on the Fitzroy River, c.1930 Source: Negative No. 13994, Historical Photographs Collection, John Oxley Library, Brisbane, 10.1177/1468794108093896 History 2 - Turtles Australia’s National Science Agency Things aren’t as simple as they seem … “Developed nations now find themselves at a crossroads, whereby there is an ever- increasing demand for seafood while their fisheries and catches are more regulated and declining. This can result in either http://doi.org/10.4027/fbgics.2015.04 (1) the importing of more seafood from countries with little or no bycatch monitoring or mitigation plans and thus effectively exporting any bycatch issues; or (2) increasing production in other industries such as agriculture resulting in other environmental impacts and risks” Everyone wants https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.04.008 everything all the time What’s next? TCFD. TNFD. Remember… you are scientists/researchers Keep it objective Consider flow-ons; we live in a complex world Evidence based Risk based There are always options Which is preferred from a science (only) perspective ?  Advice v Advocacy Stay objective Advice v recommendations https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2 &ccid=cp5y%2bq3Z&id=981D9CAC18C661653BA0328F 610D7A667F01AA64&thid=OIP.cp5y- q3ZfxHCqFNHOLeo5QHaE9&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2 fi.pinimg.com%2f736x%2f7a%2fe4%2ff7%2f7ae4f7ce1 272b516b241c87be0237b1e.jpg&exph=492&expw=73 5&q=luke+in+swamp+with+yoda+near+cave+with+vad er&simid=607989488903333433&FORM=IRPRST&ck=8 A3324B53E619A338D96B1D4E0ABFEF6&selectedIndex =1 Ranking the Lightsaber Duels - IGN https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.whKTIRXLYFjCkk_lF z117AHaE5?w=277&h=184&c=7&r=0&o=5&dpr=1.1&pid=1.7 meme-arsenal.com Take homes Some reminders The context of science The world is complex The language of science and policy History – legislation is always evolving. Challenges of the modern world - Speed Policy is aspirational Thank you Environment Brett Molony Science Director Interim Chair of CSIRO Science Council [email protected] https://people.csiro.au/M/B/brett-molony Australia’s National Science Agency