SCIENCE FOR POLICY - CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: VIEW FROM “TRANSITIONAL EAST”

1. SCIENCE FOR POLICY - CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: VIEW FROM “TRANSITIONAL EAST” Igor G. Sirodoev Institute of Ecology and Geography MAS IHDP nominee “Global Scientific Challenges: Perspectives from Young Scientists” international conference celebrating 75 years of ICSU April 4th-6th, 2007, Lindau (Germany)

2. 2 Igor .G. SIRODOEV. Science For Policy - Challenges And Opportunities: View From “Transitional East” • Theory • Need of policy- technological progress and population growth affects Earth’s self-regulation capacity • “Pure” science reason– full understanding of Earth’s “functioning” mechanism as adequate as possible • Key theoretic issue- adjusting human needs and elaborating technologies adequate to environmental carrying capacity • Spiral (relationship science-nature through policy view): • maximal use of “unchanged nature” (natural light by simple technologies – windows) • (along with technological progress) maximal use of “changed nature” (electrical light and rooms with no windows) • flexible use of “changed and unchanged nature” (using natural light where possible, but not limited just to it) • ???

3. 3 Igor .G. SIRODOEV. Science For Policy - Challenges And Opportunities: View From “Transitional East” Practice\Challenges Bureaucracy, corruption, business interests– the itinerary of the pipe-line around Baikal lake has been moved away over the lake’s watershed in 2006 (successful example of avoiding business interests, but in favor of political ones) Policy’s perception of well-being differs from the society’s/scientificone – case when environmental component is not taken into consideration when formulating the definition of well-being Lack of technical capacity for policy implementation– need of proposing the policy suitable for the technical and economic level of the country

4. 4 Igor .G. SIRODOEV. Science For Policy - Challenges And Opportunities: View From “Transitional East” Practice\Opportunities\In Science Inter-disciplinaritycontributes to more flexibility in teaching, researching, working, and policy-making Accessibility for policy-makers– scientific results are presented in accessible way for general public Technology– possibility of complex and ocular modeling of policy’s impact

5. 5 Igor .G. SIRODOEV. Science For Policy - Challenges And Opportunities: View From “Transitional East” Practice\Opportunities\In Society Spreading of education– increasing level of education, including the life-long learning approach Awareness of living conditions– governmental officials and policy-makers become aware of the need of complex adequate policy in order to make our lives better International community assistancewhich is expressed not only in providing funds, but in scientific collaboration and change of ideas

6. 6 Igor .G. SIRODOEV. Science For Policy - Challenges And Opportunities: View From “Transitional East” Science for policy\Success\Moldova’s ecological network 2002 – scientific grounds and medium-scale map 2003-2004– large-scale schema for pilot regions 2006– law on ecological network passed first reading Present– elaborating the policy concept Expected in near future– large-scale detailed schema for the entire country Next phase– creation of the absent links within the network

7. 7 Igor .G. SIRODOEV. Science For Policy - Challenges And Opportunities: View From “Transitional East” Science for policy\Failure\Moldova’s national parks 2003-2004 – scientific grounds, medium-scale map, and zoning; work with public, popularization of the NP idea among local people and local authorities 2005– raising funds for practical implementation; delivering results in accessible form for policy-making End of 2005– the Government did not give the final approval for chosen NP Current phase– discussing the idea of transformation of existing 5 scientific reserves in natural parks Expected in the near future– law on transformation of existing scientific reserves

8. 8 Igor .G. SIRODOEV. Science For Policy - Challenges And Opportunities: View From “Transitional East” • Science for policy\Questions • How to ensure that new scientific discoveries are effectively and rapidly communicated and integrated into decision-making processes? • life-long learning • How can science become more policy-aware and policy-relevant? • two approaches and four people: • pure theoretical research with long-term practical perspective and • pure practical and policy-relevant research • “ethnographical problem” => “physical” division of scientists in: • - pure “theoreticians” (theory means not just theoretical physics or mathematics, but theoretical geography, biology, chemistry etc.) • - pure “practitioners” and • - manager.

9. 9 Igor .G. SIRODOEV. Science For Policy - Challenges And Opportunities: View From “Transitional East” Science for policy\Questions (cont’d) What new mechanisms need to be developed in order to foster more effective interaction between scientists and policy-makers? approach:life-long learning for policy-makers, using practitioners andmanagers as mediators between theoreticians and policy-makers; instrument:joint interactive seminars and modeling games for solving real or anticipated problems (personal involvement is very important). What should be the role of the individual scientist in the policy-making process and what forces can hinder the realization of such role? The ideal role is presenting his research to both: policy-makers and society on the one hand and scientific community on the other. Practical results should be stressed with benefits for everyone. It is passive role, because it is hard to combine deep theoretical research and to fight for its practical implementation.

10. Thank you for your attention! Igor G. SIRODOEV Institute of Ecology and Geography MAS 1 Academiei Street, Chisinau MD-2028, Republic of Moldova Tel.: (+373 22) 73 92 48 Fax.: (+373 22) 73 59 81 Email: ingvarri@gmail.com ICQ: 458-977-403 International Human Dimensions Program on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) http://ihdp.org http://www.ihdp.uni-bonn.de