Integrating research, modelling and decision making: A network and knowledge processing approach for sustainable management of a coral reef

A large scale research program has been developed for Ningaloo Reef Western Australia. Significant contributions are being made by a variety of university and government researchers. There are at least fifty stand alone research projects currently underway. Many of these have been organised under umbrella organisations such as the WA Marine Science Institute (WAMSI), CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship and its associated cluster (a joint CSIRO and multiple Universities Research Program). Research varies from bathymetry through studies of fish species to the social science of visitor behaviour. One of the significant activities is the development of models of various types that will serve as a major integrating output. While there is an "all encompassing" model (InVitro) there are also activities to incorporate qualitative modelling and "user friendly" modelling of components. The intent is that these efforts will result in informed decision makers and managers who will have tools that they will regularly use to reach intelligent decisions that enable them to manage the uncertainties associated with what is a complex socio-ecological system. To help ensure that adoption happens, CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship created a small "client outreach" project, the purpose of which was to monitor the decision support needs of government and to help match these with the outcomes of the modelling. Initially this was considered to be a relatively simple process of maintaining and developing key links with decision makers and with the modellers and in a relatively straightforward way act as knowledge brokers. We were soon to realise however that our simple expectations contained a number of pitfalls that required examination and that there would be many challenges in demonstrating that the research activities and modelling did in fact have a positive impact for the reef. These challenges related among other things to understanding the role of formal and informal networks in creating understanding and implementing decisions, the nature of knowledge exchange requirements in decision making, the ability of individuals to think in dynamic systems terms, and the conceptual and methodological issues associated with evaluating how any adoption of the models may have improved the decisions made and the management implementation of these decisions. This paper describes progress in defining and addressing these issues which we believe to be common to all large scale multidisciplinary research programs. Nevertheless they are particularly relevant to modelling exercises that are conducted to integrate research and provide useful decision support tools for policy and management. While discussing each of the above issues separately suggestions are made for an integrated approach for assisting and evaluating the impact of models in the context of ecosystem management.