Journal
CONSERVATION LETTERS
Volume 14, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/conl.12757
Keywords
academic freedom; advocacy; conservation policy; corruption; decision making; environmental impact assessment; freedom of information; public discourse; scientific censorship; scientific integrity
Categories
Funding
- Ecological Society of Australia
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Suppressing expert knowledge can lead to harmful practices and policies being hidden from public view. A survey revealed that government and industry respondents were more likely to experience interference from employers, while university respondents were less affected. The main reason for researchers to avoid public commentary was fear of misrepresentation in the media.
Suppressing expert knowledge can hide environmentally damaging practices and policies from public scrutiny. We surveyed ecologists and conservation scientists from universities, government, and industry across Australia to understand the prevalence and consequences of suppressing science communication. Government (34%) and industry (30%) respondents reported higher rates of undue interference by employers than did university respondents (5%). Internal communications (29%) and media (28%) were curtailed most, followed by journal articles (11%), and presentations (12%). When university and industry researchers avoided public commentary, this was mainly for fear of media misrepresentation, while government employees were most often constrained by senior management and workplace policy. One third of respondents reported personal suffering related to suppression, including job losses and deteriorating mental health. Substantial reforms are needed, including to codes of practice, and governance of environmental assessments and research, so that scientific advice can be reported openly, in a timely manner and free from interference.
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