Ricerc@Sapienza

There are many calls for more effective science-policy interaction and knowledge exchange in order to tackle
persistent conservation problems; however, more clarity is needed surrounding the roles and practices involved. To
address this challenge, we present the outcomes of an iterative, transdisciplinary process between researchers and
protected area managers, to identify good practice in the development of what we call ‘learning landscape
partnerships’. This was achieved by a series of deliberative workshops, informed by the literature, to consolidate pan
-European experience of those who manage and study protected areas. The resultant ‘learning landscape
partnership’ model highlights the key role of a ‘neglected actor’ in such partnerships - the protected area manager.
Critically, protected area managers can act as intermediaries in interpreting science for use in conservation.
However, this requires the recognition of: the boundary spanning work of individual researchers and protected area
managers; the need for support and encouragement by their respective organisations; and the multi-dimensional
institutional setting by which the relationship building occurs. Working with protected area managers therefore
requires transformation in these three areas. Transformation is rarely straightforward but may be required to
respond to the urgent conservation challenges facing our most valuable landscapes.