The democratization of knowledge as a bridge between scientific research and public policy

The disconnection between the territorial authorities and the scientific community has meant that public policies are far from being carried out with awareness of the needs of the territory. However, in this note, Dr. Jonathan Barichivich and Dante Jose Luis Buitano tell us, from their experience, how the transmission of knowledge to communities constitutes a shortcut for immediate action.

Millaray Mariqueo, Science in Chile.- Scientific research at environmental, social, biological levels and other edges, advances exponentially hand in hand with the development of countries and the new questions of these. However, a large part of the research and its results remain dusty in the infinite university library or in the remote links of the Internet, until they are reread by a new researcher.

If we have made great research progress in recent decades, why have public policies not adapted to the results of these? Without a doubt, this would optimize sustainable, rapid and effective development for communities. The answer is simple: there are no bridges connecting the study and immediate action in authorities, or rather, they have not been created.

He Dr. Jonathan Barichivich, Forest Engineer and member of the Alerce Corporation He comments “one never systematizes how to transform these investigations into public policies, they simply happen, because in Chile nothing is planned, they act on spilled milk”.

Jonathan comes from a family that has contributed to the study and protection of larches, he is a scientist who lives and grew up in the territory, and therefore knows its needs very well. In this, the researcher makes the difference between what is the production and understanding of knowledge, “there is the production of knowledge, which is done with the people of the territory, but then that must be transformed into understanding.”

The production of knowledge results in scientific publications and data for a reduced niche, however, The communities that were studied or participants in these investigations do not obtain their results, that is, they never see the investigation.

The only way for this research to reach the related community It is years later when a technical agent from the region is looking for the article for a report or project, “It is a very long circuit, it would not have any tangible effect on the territory in a period that will help those affected. Science is super uncertain because you have to be very fast, you don’t have 10 years to observe or measure something, given that systems are changing rapidly due to climate change and increasing human influence, you can’t wait,” says Barichivich.

science shortcut

The scientific understanding of the researcher defines it as a “shortcut or scientific shortcut” is about transform research into public policy by transmitting it in the territory to be able to act on specific problems in time.

In the case of the conservation of the thousand-year-old larch, having studied its characteristics, the Alerce Corporation was able to reveal the importance of this tree for the world and also understand how it is responding to the climate and the negative effect of tourism.

“We are translating this scientific knowledge to inform the institutions that are in charge of political action, and also the people of the community. Although I was able to bridge the gaps between world-class science and its relevance in the territory, it is still difficult”.

Barichivich describes this process as part of a hostile system, due to the existing obstacles within the institutions to implement immediate change measures, “there are people who have other agendas, for example, there are elements in the territory who want to include more tourists, they want to do business, but when nature communicates something to one as a scientist, we have a responsibility to inform those who act on it, especially the general public”.

Recovery of the Mashue basins: a model of democratization of knowledge

Jonathan is also part of a program renaturation in mashue together with Dante Jose Luis Buitano, who for 20 years developed a pilot experience of planting native forest around the basins for their recovery, with the aim of restoring the life cycle and biodiversity.

This Program for the Recovery of Degraded Property Micro-watersheds is a strategic development program created by the community, based on a real water crisis, and constitutes an example of the scale of action research and financing in a public policy, since they achieved financing for the APRs, “before this did not exist, we provide the input and the example of how to operationalize it, It was there that from the community we presented a proposal with a solid scientific base to the politicians and they financed us to later apply it throughout the region, it was a way of scaling the local experience, at the regional level” indicated the member of the Alerce Corporation.

Mashue’s 37-year development basin recovery program involves the recovery of 370 hectares in the valley. In addition, it is in the hands of the Drinking Water Committee, therefore, they are “front-line sensors” -as Dante describes it-.

One of the main objectives of this is to be able to integrate the investigation to the resolution of the real needs of the territory, that is, without divorcing the investigation from the social base, “The objectives that grassroots organizations are considering to adapt to climate change is to democratize science and make it part of the solution to environmental problems,” says Dante.

However, the program is nourished by various purposes such as: integrating children into the program, adapting its curriculum through an agreement with the community DAEM, linking the institution with the final objective, laying the practical foundations to modify the model of Chilean forestry development, directly linking the scientific world with the socio-environmental needs in the territories and forcing the creation of public policies that address recovery and restoration.

On the other hand, Buitano mentions being aware of the deficiency of the legislation in matters of ecosystem protection “we know that the forest legislation was made for the benefit of economic groups, but it seems to us that it is already out of place, the new times require other services, not only the economic one”. For this, Dante highlights that as a community they have proposed alternatives such as downloading science to the communities, for which they have a university front that is working on it.

“The scientific community has to go down to the communities if it wants to be credible, it cannot continue to be divorced from what is happening” Dante concluded.