Indicadores: puentes entre la ciencia y la toma de decisiones en conservación de la biodiversidad ante el cambio climático

This report discusses the disconnect between scientific research and political decision-making regarding biodiversity conservation in the Andean countries under the threat of climate change. It proposes the implementation of a knowledge management system based on indicators to translate complex scientific data into actionable information for policymakers.

• There is a significant communication gap between scientists and decision-makers in the Andean countries, which is not caused by a lack of information but by barriers such as the use of complex language, the prevalence of English in scientific literature, and the failure of scientists to provide concrete answers to policy questions.
• Decision-making processes are split into two levels: a technical level consisting of specialists who provide recommendations, and a managerial/political level responsible for analyzing those recommendations and aligning them with political contexts and public opinion.
• Public institutions in Andean countries often operate under 'reactive management,' focusing on urgent, short-term legal requirements and situational needs, rather than 'projective management' which uses anticipated scenarios and long-term goals to guide conservation.
• The report proposes a six-stage system for generating indicators to bridge the science-policy gap: 1) identifying information needs, 2) designing monitoring systems, 3) generating scientific knowledge, 4) estimating new indicators, 5) adjusting monitoring systems based on consensus, and 6) applying indicators to decision-making.
• For indicators to be effective in biodiversity conservation, they must be agreed upon by both scientists and decision-makers based on specific criteria: validity, replicability, equivalence (comparability), simplicity, availability, and utility.
• Effective biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change requires a holistic, interdisciplinary, and multi-level approach (global, national, local) that prioritizes the evaluation of vulnerabilities and the implementation of adaptive policy systems.

APA

Mendoza, J., Ortiz, N., & Martínez, R. (n.d.). Indicadores: puentes entre la ciencia y la toma de decisiones en conservación de la biodiversidad ante el cambio climático. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/DE1.pdf

Chicago

Mendoza, Javier, Néstor Ortiz, and Rodney Martínez. Indicadores: puentes entre la ciencia y la toma de decisiones en conservación de la biodiversidad ante el cambio climático. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, n.d. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/DE1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mendoza |first1=Javier |last2=Ortiz |first2=Néstor |last3=Martínez |first3=Rodney |title=Indicadores: puentes entre la ciencia y la toma de decisiones en conservación de la biodiversidad ante el cambio climático |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/DE1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mendozandindicadores, author = {Mendoza, Javier and Ortiz, Néstor and Martínez, Rodney}, title = {{Indicadores: puentes entre la ciencia y la toma de decisiones en conservación de la biodiversidad ante el cambio climático}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/DE1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }