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Toward rigorous use of expert knowledge in ecological research
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Practicing ecologists who excel at their work (‘‘experts’’) hold a wealth of knowledge. This knowledge offers a wide range of opportunities for application in ecological research and natural resource decision-making. While experts are often consulted ad-hoc, their contributions are not widely acknowledged. These informal applications of expert knowledge lead to concerns about a lack of transparency and repeatability, causing distrust of this knowledge source in the scientific community. Here, we address these concerns with an exploration of the diversity of expert knowledge and of rigorous methods in its use. The effective use of expert knowledge hinges on an awareness of the spectrum of experts and their expertise, which varies by breadth of perspective and critical assessment. Also, experts express their knowledge in different forms depending on the degree of contextualization with other information. Careful matching of experts to application is therefore essential and has to go beyond a simple fitting of the expert to the knowledge domain. The standards for the collection and use of expert knowledge should be as rigorous as for empirical data. This involves knowing when it is appropriate to use expert knowledge and how to identify and select suitable experts. Further, it requires a careful plan for the collection, analysis and validation of the knowledge. The knowledge held by expert practitioners is too valuable to be ignored. But only when thorough methods are applied, can the application of expert knowledge be as valid as the use of empirical data. The responsibility for the effective and rigorous use of expert knowledge lies with the researchers.
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Reports & Documents
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Six Common Mistakes in Conservation Priority Setting
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A vast number of prioritization schemes have been developed to help conservation navigate tough decisions about the allocation of finite resources. However, the application of quantitative approaches to setting priorities in conservation frequently includes mistakes that can undermine their authors’ intention to be more rigorous and scientific in the way priorities are established and resources allocated. Drawing on well-established principles of decision science, we highlight 6 mistakes commonly associated with setting priorities for conservation: not acknowledging conservation plans are prioritizations; trying to solve an ill- defined problem; not prioritizing actions; arbitrariness; hidden value judgments; and not acknowledging risk of failure. We explain these mistakes and offer a path to help conservation planners avoid making the same mistakes in future prioritizations.
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Reports & Documents
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Training Resources
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SPARROW Surface Water-Quality Monitoring
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SPARROW, a modeling tool for the regional interpretation of water-quality monitoring data. The model relates in-stream water-quality measurements to spatially referenced characteristics of watersheds, including contaminant sources and factors influencing terrestrial and aquatic transport. SPARROW empirically estimates the origin and fate of contaminants in river networks and quantifies uncertainties in model predictions.
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Tools & Resources
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Decision Support & Web Map Viewers
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SouthEast Aquatic Connectivity Assessment Project
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This map and prioritization tool are designed to be screening-level tools that can be used to help investigate potential fish passage / aquatic organism passage opportunities in the Southeast U.S. in the context of many ecological factors. Results do not incorporate important social, economic, or feasibility factors and are not intended to be a replacement for site-specific knowledge nor a prescription for on-the-ground action.
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Tools & Resources
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Decision Support & Web Map Viewers
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USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) monitors water quality conditions in study units across the nation and stores all collected chemical and physical water quality data in the NAWQA Data Warehouse. The NAWQA Data Export provides an easy way to access data stored in the NAWQA Data Warehouse through form-based workbook queries as well as through standalone web services.
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Data
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Public Data Repositories
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Multistate Aquatic Resources Information System (MARIS)
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The Multistate Aquatic Resources Information System (MARIS) is a cooperative effort between state and federal agencies to share fisheries information collected as part of ongoing sampling programs. MARIS data is owned and provided by participating state natural resource management agencies, while technical support and hosting are currently provided by the Core Science Analytics and Synthesis Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. Acting through a MARIS Steering Committee, partners collaborate on the content, design, and administration of MARIS.
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Data
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Public Data Repositories
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National Wetlands Inventory (NWI)
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The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) has been producing wetland maps and geospatial wetland data for the United States since the mid-1970s. The focus has been on two fronts: 1) map or digital database preparation and delivery to the public, and 2) projecting and reporting on national wetland trends using a probability-based sampling design. Maps and geospatial data developed by the NWI is available online and can be downloaded by HUC 8 Watershed Boundary or by State. The data is downloaded as a .zip file that contains the following layers: wetlands polygon data, wetlands project metadata (includes image dates and project information), wetlands historic map information, riparian polygon data, riparian project metadata (includes image dates and project information), historic wetlands, historic wetlands project metadata (includes image dates and project information), and USGS HUC 8 Watershed Boundary.
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Data
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Public Data Repositories
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U.S. Drought Monitor
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The U.S. Drought Monitor, established in 1999, is a weekly map of drought conditions that is produced jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The U.S. Drought Monitor, a composite index that includes many indicators, is the drought map that policymakers and media use in discussions of drought and in allocating drought relief. U.S. Drought Monitor maps come out every Thursday morning at 8:30 eastern time, based on data through 7 a.m. the preceding Tuesday. The map is based on measurements of climatic, hydrologic and soil conditions as well as reported impacts and observations from more than 350 contributors around the country.
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Data
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Public Data Repositories
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Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN)
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The Soil Moisture/Soil Temperature (SM/ST) Pilot Project, a cooperative effort by the Resource Inventory Division and the Soil Survey Division of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, was designed to examine network communications, sensors, data collection electronics, station maintenance, data management, system interfaces, and management of a large cooperative nationwide, comprehensive soil moisture and climate information system. SCAN (Soil Climate Analysis Network) is a continuous climate monitoring program that is an outgrowth of the SM/ST Pilot Project.
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Data
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Public Data Repositories
