A note from Puget Sound Partnership Science Director Ken Currens:
The Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel has identified 48 science actions as high priority. The actions, described in Priority Science for Restoring and Protecting Puget Sound: A Biennial Science Work Plan for 2011-2013, are intended to provide strategic focus for scientists working on Puget Sound recovery and to help direct the allocation of the limited resources available for science to studies where it is needed the most.
The Science Panel chose these actions based on a review of the questions that current research and monitoring are addressing, a review of recommendations from scientific reports and publications on the science needs for a program of ecosystem recovery in Puget Sound, and recommendations from a broad base of scientists, practitioners, stakeholders and decision makers.
To identify priority actions, the Science Panel asked two sets of questions. The first set focused on a scientific criterion: How much do we know? What is the level of scientific uncertainty? The second set focused on a policy-science criterion: What are the decision critical questions and information? Where is lack of scientific information hindering progress in restoration and recovery?
Copies of the report are available at the Puget Sound Partnership website. The Puget Sound Partnership is accepting comments on the report until January 20th.