Practical Tips to Establish an Actionable Science Portfolio

The dedication of climate change science capital to inform management decisions – otherwise known as actionable climate science - is a bedrock principle contained in the science portfolios of all Climate Science Centers (CSCs) across the United States. This emphasis requires a commitment from resource managers (science users) and scientists (science producers) to work in unison with one another. To some, this partnership mimics the conventional demand and supply relationship described in economic theory, where managers provide the demand function through explicit a priori top decisions or planning actions concerning the natural resources they administer, and scientists describe the adequacy of the products they may be able to supply. But a fundamental dialogue of this kind is not spontaneous and presents challenges early in the process of establishing an actionable science portfolio. A few practical suggestions are presented here to set up a productive dialogue between managers and scientists, and encourage them to work side-by-side toward agreed upon common objectives. These useful tips stem from everyday experience gained by the Northwest CSC in the implementation and administration of its actionable climate portfolio and may prove useful to similar entities committed to delivering climate science to address resource management concerns.