Title: Role of a boundary organization network for the Sonoran Desert region

Convenor: Adrian Munguia-Vega

Session theme: We discussed the importance of boundary organizations that work across traditional boundaries between academy, government, NGOs and communities of users of natural resources to promote the use of the best scientific information to provide neutral and balanced expert opinions that go beyond any single sector or organization. 

Session discussion:

We discussed the main activities that characterize a boundary organization (Inclusiveness, accountability to each sector and the crafting of boundary objects) and considered some of the benefits of the boundary work, including efficiency, and building of trust and consensus among sectors around spiny issues. We identified some missing sectors that should also be considered and labeled them “private interest” “common pool resources” and “traditional knowledge”. We recognized each sector has its own dynamics, limitations and incentives, and that some like government are more constrained than others, but that even when each sector has its own mission and activities their goals partially overlap and this could lead to shared actions towards the use of science in policy. We identified the lack of incentives for collaboration between sectors and recognizing each others needs from the beginning as two key aspects of the boundary work. We agreed that science plays a key role in that it helps to objectively describe the natural world and how it functions beyond personal interests or perceptions, and that scientists need actual training into existing environmental laws and help to develop their communications skills with non-scientists. We also recognized that science could be politicized, but that scientific tools like peer review could help to avoid that.

Action items:

-An N-Gen workshop in 2016 that could help to connect science and policy through better communication

-Identify boundary objects that are needed in the region around various controversial issues (e.g. mining) and what is needed to produce them.

Session detailed notes: