Abstract
How can the SDGs be achieved if evidence to inform decisions does not reach decision makers? What happens if decision makers do not have the capacity to understand and use the information? Questions like these have guided research and teaching of the multidisciplinary Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) research group, based in the Faculty of Management, for two decades. This poster will illustrate the work of EIUI members who study the use of evidence at marine science-policy interfaces with the goal to develop better understanding of factors that enable and limit the uptake of research into public policy decisions and management practices. Science-policy interfaces are complex processes involving evidence production, e.g., results of research studies, communication strategies, e.g., publications reporting those results, and the intricacies of policymaking at multiple jurisdictions levels (provincial, national, and international). Since many actors and factors operate in these interfaces, gaps often occur between the production of research evidence and its use. EIUI team members are studying these gaps in numerous settings and considering solutions in collaboration with governmental, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations (www.eiui.ca). In addition, the graduate course, Information in Public Policy and Decision Making, offers multidisciplinary students the opportunity to learn and apply strategies to overcome difficulties in mobilizing research evidence. Only by “bridging” the gaps between science and policy can research unleash its full potential and appropriately support the creation and implementation of policies and practices regarding the health of the ocean and the achievement of SDG 14 (Life below water).
Citation
Legault, A., Chandler, L., Keast, E., Cadman, R., Toze, S., Caron, I., & MacDonald, B. H. (2025). Evidence-based decision making and the SDGs: The work of the Environmental Information: Use and Influence Research Program in the Faculty of Management. SDGs Expo 2025: Innovating for a Sustainable Future, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 10 March 2025.