Bridging the science-policy divide in the coastal zone: is there a role for learning processes?

Abstract

The coastal zone has multiple institutions, actors and issues. It is also under pressure from climate change and social change. Science is often translated into policy so that multiple pressures are managed in an ad hoc and uncoordinated manner. We argue that in order to ensure science gets disseminated and used in implementation of policy in practice, we need to understand how learning occurs – individually and collectively across cultures and stakeholders. This chapter, using examples from Australia to exemplify key points, is a conceptual reflection on the utility of learning processes when adopted formally within coastal management, and whether it can help build bridges between science and policy. We conclude with a suggested learning framework based on the elements of time, partnerships, incentives, cross-cultural knowledge exchange, identity, local–global linkages and scale.