The role of intermediaries in managing environmental problems: three coastal case studies from Tasmania, Australia

Effectively integrating science into environmental policy decisions can improve the management of environmental problems. Attempts to successfully integrate scientific knowledge may utilise intermediaries. This paper examines perceptions on the role of intermediaries in three case studies in Tasmania, Australia (sea level rise managed by Clarence City Council, the Derwent Estuary Program and the Shack Sites Project). An internet survey and a suite of key informant interviews were undertaken with scientists and policy-makers in each of the case studies. Results indicate that intermediaries can facilitate the integration of science into policy, even if not all participants recognise them as fulfilling this role. The ambiguity regarding terminology was also a recurrent theme. However, the facilitation of intermediaries is more effective when political priorities do not conflict with the incorporation of science into policy.