The Wise-Use Checklist as a Science–Policy Interface– The Interaction of Science and Policy in Taiwanese Wetland Conservation Policy

Abstract

The ‘Wise-Use Checklist’ was designed to assist people in formulating the ‘Conservation–Utilisation Plans for Wetlands of Importance’ in Taiwanese wetland conservation policy programme. Feedback from the planning teams, however, indicated that the checklist was difficult to use. Therefore, this research employed the perspective of science–policy interface to understand the barriers people were experiencing while implementing the checklist and identify the factors influencing the governance between science and policy in wetland conservation. The study mainly focused on the period from 2013 to 2015, when the wetland conservation policy was transformed into legislation and regulations in Taiwan. Semi-structured interviews were used to understand the thoughts of planners who participated in the formulation of the ‘Conservation–Utilisation Plans for Wetlands of Importance’. The interviews revealed that the main barrier to the planners was the uncertainty produced by perception divergence, technical difficulties, and policy–institutional barriers, rather than the checklist itself. The responses identified tensions and governance issues among the scientists and between the scientists and policymakers with respect to wetland conservation policies. The research yielded two findings in the aspect of the science-policy interfaces themselves, and six areas for discussion in the aspect of governance between wetland scientists and policymakers.