IUFRO Spotlights

2019-07-31

Congress Spotlight #70 - Explaining forest research findings to non-scientists: Some tools and ideas to facilitate communication

While the rigor of science and the underlying data can be appreciated by other scientists, wider communications demand more than a peer-reviewed publication.


The general public want to know why they should care; and decision-makers want to know what the data means and how they should interpret the findings.

"If you can successfully get your message across about why your research is important, it makes everything so much easier – whether it be successfully getting stakeholder buy-in, informing sound forest management decisions, or sharing good reasons to continue funding your research," says Jennifer Hayes, Director, Science Application and Communication, United States Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station and Deputy Leader of the FAO-UNECE Forest Communicators Network. Ms. Hayes is the session organizer for: Delivering and communicating forest science for people and a greener future at the IUFRO World Congress in Curitiba, Brazil this fall.

The session hopes to address multiple aspects of these obstacles and issues. You will hear from scientists – 10 of them – who are successfully communicating their research and learn from their experiences (e.g. climate simulation experiences in Kenya). The session will deep-dive into some specific communication tool use and from this will see how some of those tools might be applied to other topics (e.g. augmented reality).


Further reading:

 

Files:
congress-spotlight70-explaining-forest-research-findings.pdf404 Ki