Better evidence, better decisions, better environment: emergent themes from the first environmental evidence conference

The first international Collaboration for Environmental Evidence (CEE) conference took place in August 2016 at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, with nearly 100 participants from 14 countries. The conference reflected and contributed to the growth of a global network of people interested in the production and use of evidence syntheses in environmental management. The conference also provided an opportunity to identify emerging themes and reflect on those ideas and perspectives to help direct future activities of the CEE and the broader community.

An increasingly engaged community of practice was evident but there is uneven distribution of experience, resources, capacity, and commitment to evidence synthesis in different sectors and regions. There is much potential to bring academics, practitioners, and other partners together, which will help to further demonstrate the impact of evidence synthesis activities and enhance relevance.

Another insight from the conferences was that as the discipline evolves there is growing interest in rapid evidence synthesis, but the benefits and risks of that approach remain unclear. There was also a recognition that improvements in empirical science will enhance the likelihood that more studies can be fully exploited as part of evidence synthesis.

This paper aims to be a template for future CEE activities (particularly on where to invest resources) but also as an invitation to those who were unable to attend to participate in CEE and the evidence-based environmental management movement in whichever ways resonate with them.

Read the article (external link to journal – open access)