Modellers' and Outreach Professionals' Views on the Role of Models in Watershed Management

摘要

Nitrogen loading models are often designed and built without any input from decision-makers. Better understanding and communication between modellers and decision-makers would improve the usefulness of models. In interviews with 16 modellers and outreach professionals in southern New England, USA, we inquired about how nitrogen-loading models should be designed and used in local decision-making. Qualitative analysis revealed several insights about: differences between models intended to advance science and those to advance policy-making; matching the scale of the model with that of the decision; the danger that models might promote technocracy; how to present uncertainty information; ecological transferability and social acceptance of models to new locales; involvement of local decision-makers and citizens in the design of models; and the use of models by lay decision-makers. The findings highlight both opportunities and obstacles to the use of models in local policy-making.