LEOPOLD INSTITUTE

Guidelines for evaluating proposals for scientific activities in wilderness

Peter Landres - Leopold Institute

These guidelines were developed by an interagency team to be systematic and comprehensive in evaluating the potential benefits and impacts of proposed scientific activities in wilderness. We have been developing a standardized framework for assessing and weighing the potential impacts and benefits of proposed scientific activities in wilderness.

Currently, there is no systematic and comprehensive process for evaluating proposals for scientific activities in wilderness among the four agencies responsible for managing wilderness. This lack of a standardized process results in considerable confusion among managers and scientists, missed opportunities for gaining information about a wilderness when legitimate proposals are denied, and undesirable impacts when questionable proposals are accepted. If such a process can be developed and accepted by the four wilderness agencies, researchers and others proposing scientific activities will have a much clearer understanding of how their proposals will be evaluated, allowing them to improve their proposals, reducing frustration. Managers will have a defensible process they can turn to and rely on to support their decisions, reducing their frustration. Such a systematic process provides an opportunity for improving communication and discussion between managers and scientists, and for developing better quality information about wilderness.