A field station's recipe for impactful science

Abstract

As society navigates unprecedented global change, we need science-backed solutions to confront compounding ecological crises. While we ecologists often intend to do impactful science that addresses these crises, too often we are guilty of “hoping”, rather than “planning”, for impact. Within ecologically minded institutions, having planned impacts increases the likelihood of success and starts with a well-defined mission, which states the organization's purpose and guides its activities. Mission-oriented science can influence agency policy, shape sustainable land-use planning, guide management best practices, train future scientists, and more. However, the challenge is to build from mission-oriented science to maximize impact. Here, we identify three key ingredients of a recipe for achieving impact: (1) synergistic science, (2) knowledge of place, and (3) bridging to partners. Although grounded in our experiences at Archbold Biological Station, a nonprofit field station in south-central Florida, and in our collective knowledge of similar stations, we believe these ingredients are broadly applicable across scientific institutions.

Synergistic science refers to teams of researchers working together toward an institution's mission. Simply put, complex environmental challenges require diverse teams to address them holistically. For example, Archbold's fire management plan is based on decades of our own science across taxa, providing a comprehensive framework for balancing the fire needs of multiple organisms, and, to date, resulting in >350 prescribed burns of an endangered scrub ecosystem. Synergistic science may be interdisciplinary or emerge from participation in formal research networks (eg USDA's Long-Term Agroecosystem Research [LTAR] network). For instance, testing strategies for sustainable agroecosystems required synthesizing data collected by 18 researchers from 53 long-term co-located studies of biodiversity, water quality, soils, and greenhouse gases at Archbold’s Buck Island Ranch (Nat Commun 2023).

Knowledge of place refers to a deep understanding of local or regional ecosystems, biota, and processes, and to being a trusted information source among key stakeholders in governmental, academic, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors (Univ. of Chicago Press 2010). Solutions to large-scale environmental challenges arise from local actions based on knowledge of place. Developing knowledge of place is often not straightforward and may require lengthy engagement to build relevant expertise, resources, datasets, and partnerships. Ultimately, knowledge of place allows organizations a seat at the table in decision making; in our case, such knowledge allows staff to engage closely with county planners on policies supporting prescribed fire, establishing conservation areas, and avoiding development sprawl.

Bridging to partners refers to how the organization works with other, mission-aligned institutions and stakeholders to make science actionable. This ingredient may range from true co-production of research with stakeholders, to working with targeted end users to communicate findings and recommendations. For instance, The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University have a shared mission at Konza Prairie Biological Station dedicated to long-term ecological research, education, and prairie conservation that has contributed to bison restoration, fire management, and grazing practices across the Flint Hills region. Here in Florida, the Florida Wildlife Corridor aims to conserve 17.7 million acres of connected lands, and mobilizes a coalition of land trusts, nonprofits, landowners, filmmakers, and government agencies, in addition to researchers (Conserv Sci Pract 2024).

Impact for an ecologist may take on various forms, but often lies in specific outcomes such as policy, land conservation, or improved population trajectories for at-risk species. Importantly, quantifiable metrics allow institutions to track outcomes and prioritize impactful activities. For example, strategic planning using a Theory of Change model (Eval Program Plann 2009) can help an organization identify desired conservation outcomes (eg species persistence), as well as the metrics to assess (eg number of translocations) and the research to arrive at those outcomes.

At Archbold, we have found that the combination of these ingredients is a recipe for increased impact. Our mission coupled with strategic conservation pillars guides most research toward both basic science and deliberate conservation outcomes. Since its founding in 1941, the Station's synergistic science focused on the ecology of the many imperiled endemic species of the Lake Wales Ridge. In the late 1980s, our work expanded regionally into the surrounding Headwaters of the Everglades with new science on agricultural and military lands and associated grassland habitats. Our broadened knowledge of place expanded Archbold's impact, from local work on land management with various landowners, to regional issues such as landscape connectivity and water quality. Participating in science networks further expanded Archbold's impact to national (eg LTAR) and global (eg Nutrient Network) extents by scaling up our place-based research. Our recent leadership in the Florida Wildlife Corridor campaign created statewide influence through legislative and ballot-driven funding for land conservation (Conserv Sci Pract 2024). We urge scientists working at all types and sizes of institutions to embrace an impact-oriented approach that leverages synergistic science, knowledge of place, and partnerships to address increasing ecological challenges.