. Closing information gaps to support wildlife management and natural resource decision-making: a case study from the Prairie Potholes Region

Abstract
Scientists increasingly want to make the science they produce useful and usable for decision-makers, and decision-makers often recognize the need to include weather and climate information in decision-making processes. However, there is still a gap between the supply of available science and science that is usable by decision-makers. Here, we demonstrate that understanding the decision-making context in which scientific information is being used (or not used) is one step toward closing this gap. Decision makers do not merely need more science, but more communication and outreach aimed at turning scientific data into meaningful information. For the wildlife management community in the Prairie Potholes Region (PPR), climate and weather information needs are driven by the need to understand how projected changes in precipitation will impact prairie wetland ecology. Decision makers in the PPR need: guidance on how to select, understand, and use various climate information products; help understanding projected impacts; and accessible explanations of the differences between new and previously available science information. Existing management priorities, limited institutional resources, incomplete ecological data, and socio-economic processes are all parts of the decision-making context that also influence the usability gap. While these factors cannot be overcome solely by producing better or more accessible science, scientists can focus on improving communication and collaboration with information users and decision-makers. To end, we offer potential strategies to facilitate engagement between scientists and information users based on experience with three research-to-operations projects.