Vetenskap och värderingar i forskningsprogrammet Future Forests
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SammanfattningThe Swedish Future Forests research program recognizes that people hold different values about managing and planning the future. The best future is complex and uncertain. It is not only laypersons or planners who are uncertain about what to do to shape the future as desired, but also scientists often diverge when it comes to setting goals for society. In fact, they try to maintain their neutrality and this creates a confusing situation where our social, cultural and personal values overlie science or push it to give an instruction for change.In a project called “Science and Values", we questioned the neutrality of science when entering into political areas of people´s values in discussing environmental goals. In so doing, we looked at a specific research area which is studying the natural state of water resources. These studies are done in line with the goals set in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). The goal here is to bring back European waters to their natural state as far as possible. Scientists are supposed to characterize the “natural" state while local people and decision-makers are expected to participate in finding ways to restore the natural state.
We searched the literature to see what is defined as a natural state by experts in different fields in life sciences. Also a group of experts and local people with special connection to nature were interviewed. Two such groups were brought together to discuss what “natural" meant for them, where they came across its various interpretations, and finally how they dealt with its ambiguity in their research and work.
These Round Table events, planned and facilitated by the Division of Environmental Communication at SLU, acknowledged that naturalness could not be uniquely defined or objectively described by science or by citizens.To bring science and societal values together in making better decisions for the future experts and citizens need to elaborate more on their values and desires about a good state of nature, communicate it openly, and reshape their views about it by learning mutually.
Transparency of science in terms of its uncertainties and willingness to embrace a democratic approach could help the usefulness of scientific research for society. Such approaches, and methods and tools to support them have to be developed to identify and incorporate common values of society and desirable futures from citizens´ perspectives in the phase of setting up scientific research for guiding towards an unknown future.
Artiklar
Salar Valinia. 2011. EU-Water Framework Directive, Reference Conditions & Public Participation: A comprehensive directive with antagonistic poles or a harmonious monopole? MSc-thesis, Department of Urban and Rural development, SLU
