Insights for developing effective decision support tools for environmental sustainability

Despite the increasing number of decision support tools (DSTs) intended to inform sustainability decision-making, recent evidence suggests they may not be reaching stakeholders who need them most and are of varying content and quality. One way to enhance theiruseandqualityistoevaluatetoolsduringtheirdevelopmentand deployment in order to improve DSTs and their relevance and usability within decision-making processes. Here we identify key characteristics of successful DSTs that enhance decision quality through a review of the literature, and then consider some ways that the ecosystem of decision support activities-coastal plan process and planning tool-used to develop Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan embody these characteristics. We conclude with thoughts on the transferability of effective DST ecosystems to other situations in the context of environmental decision-making, and we offer key considerations for DST developers to best support meaningful integration of relevant science into planning and policy realms.