Abstract
Freshwater biodiversity is facing an acute crisis. Their isolation and disconnection make them particularly susceptible to anthropogenic pressures including habitat loss and degradation, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, wildlife crime, and climate change. These have resulted in a species extinction rate three times faster than seen in terrestrial habitats. The anthropogenic nature of the threats points to an anthropogenic solution.There is widespread recognition of a knowing-doing gap between the production and use of conservation knowledge and that meaningful communication between stakeholders can potentially overcome it. This thesis hypothesised that ineffective knowledge exchange between conservation stakeholders may contribute to freshwater biodiversity declines. To address this, the effectiveness of knowledge exchange in Scottish Atlantic salmon and sea trout management was explored as a representative case study of wider freshwater biodiversity contexts. The case study was assessed by applying a SWOT analysis methodology as an overall framework. The framework included a predictive model of ideal knowledge exchange and a thematic analysis of stakeholder interview responses. To provide an objective system for categorising these findings as either strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and/or threats. Five criteria were proposed against which findings were compared.
Applying the framework to the case study demonstrated its utility for assessing the effectiveness of knowledge exchange. Overall, the findings demonstrated that knowledge exchange in the case study was not as effective as possible. Qualitative analyses of the findings highlighted nuanced differences between the prediction and observation with the potential to impact the effectiveness of knowledge exchange. Stakeholders showed low engagement with interactive processes that seek to connect disparate stakeholders and/or adapt generic knowledge to the specific needs of a conservation context, project, or stakeholder. The comparative model was unable to explore these impacts, so a thematic analysis was used to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of knowledge exchange in the expectation that these would provide some illumination regarding the reasons behind the findings of the model comparison.
Most stakeholders considered the decline in Atlantic salmon and sea trout populations the greatest threat facing the sector. Many demonstrated a reliance on, or called for the use of, traditional methods with little current academic support. The framework identified that knowledge exchange in the sector is impacted by low resourcing reducing access to knowledge published behind paywalls (a common method used by academic producers) and the time stakeholders had to engage in finding and exchanging knowledge. The analysis highlighted stakeholders perceive government and academics as distrustful, prioritise exchanging knowledge person-to-person, and rely on the personal knowledge of individuals who have worked in the sector for an extended time. These all risk introducing organisational forgetting and biases through stakeholders’ preferential knowledge selection and/or who to exchange it with.
Finally, the SWOT framework identified opportunities to improve knowledge exchange. Mechanisms such as increasing access to higher-quality knowledge by increasing funding, production of systematic reviews, or the appointment of an individual to communicate the most up-to-date, robust knowledge personally were highlighted. The analysis also suggested efforts should be made to change attitudes towards higher-quality knowledge and its use by educating stakeholders and developing and applying best practice guidelines.
| Date of Award | 11 Jun 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Bernd Hänfling (Supervisor) & Rosalind Bryce (Supervisor) |