Session Lead:
Elizabeth North, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, Cambridge, MD
Co-Leads:
Gary Shenk USGS, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, Annapolis MD
Mark J. Brush, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA
Session format: Oral presentations
Abstract:
Collaborative modeling, defined as modeling developed in concert with stakeholders, has emerged as an innovative approach for addressing complex water quality management issues. The approach brings together modelers with a wide variety of stakeholders in a facilitated environment over an extended time period to develop models, run scenarios, and make management decisions that would improve with stakeholder expertise and buy-in. Collaborative modeling teams can include diverse groups such as scientists, government officials, resource managers, community planners, business interests, fishing groups, interested citizens, and environmental advocates. Models that are developed collaboratively benefit from the synthesis of scientific information and stakeholder knowledge, often leading to better accuracy. In addition, scenarios tend to be realistic, cost effective, and relevant to specific management issues and stakeholder needs. Both the models and the scenarios generated by the models have an increased level of stakeholder buy-in relative to models that are developed with less stakeholder input.
Collaborative modeling can take many forms and generally include selecting participants, discussing issues, synthesizing available data and local knowledge, exploring the limitations and applications of available modeling tools, developing and adapting models, identifying scenarios to be modeled, reviewing the results, and developing and communicating consensus management recommendations. The scope, scale, and history of the management issue and the goals of the process will influence the collaboration structure.
We seek examples of collaborative modeling efforts from across a full spectrum of approaches and natural resource management issues. Presentations may focus on the scientific and technical aspects of model development and results, management or policy outcomes resulting from a collaborative modeling process, process design and facilitation, and/or the human and social dimensions of collaborative modeling and communication. We ask that all presentations include some background on the nature of the collaborative approach used and a summary of successes (i.e., what worked well) as well as ideas for improvement (i.e., what would work better in the future). The session should be of interest to all those who work to support more effective and efficient natural resource management, including modelers, resource managers, planners, policy makers, science communicators, and scientists involved in management issues who provide data to their modeling colleagues.