Marine scientists and social scientists are working together on the science-policy interface in Denmark, and I’m becoming co-author on some Danish science and policy in the process!

First we wrote an “ekspertudtalelse” – an expert opinion piece – about marine restoration, biodiversity, and sustainable resource use for IPBES in Denmark – the coordinating group for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). In it we stress the connections between the condition of the marine environment and nature’s contributions to people, and discuss the role marine restoration and nature-based solutions can play in fostering sustainability.

Then to get the word out, the 18 co-authors have published a news editorial in Altinget – Denmark’s “leading political news site,” advocating for more follow-through (monitoring and enforcement, but also more comprehensive planning and management) in marine governance in Danish waters. I could never, ever have written these two pieces on my own, if for no other reason than because my Danish is nowhere near capable of doing so. It takes a team with local knowledge to bridge local-global topics, just like it takes a scientific and policy integrated team to bridge the science-policy interface, and to have the strengths of natural and social science working together. Thus I am extra-pleased with these new publications!

Cover Image Credit: “Skagen” by Susest is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0