The impacts of climate change have prompted forest practitioners and decision makers to consider assisted migration (a form of plant translocation) as a management strategy. Historically, decisions around forest management, including the application of novel approaches, have been driven by the interests of particular groups and informed by a narrow range of knowledge inputs. Drawing on our program of social science research and that of others, we demonstrate: (a) the need to expand the range of groups consulted in climate-adaptive forest management; (b) the necessity to incorporate a broader range of knowledge inputs; and (c) the development and application of deliberative approaches that facilitate both. Synthesis. We identify a novel deliberative agenda for understanding the societal aspects and implications of plant translocation research and practice, and make recommendations for mixed socially based research methods that revolve around engaging a diverse set of publics and forms of knowledge in environmental decision-making and policy-setting.
Hagerman, S; Kozak, R
Disentangling the social complexities of assisted migration through deliberative methods
Journal Of Ecology