title: Practical recommendations to help students bridge the research-implementation gap and promote conservation.
abstract: Seasoned conservation researchers often struggle to bridge the research-implementation gap and promote the translation of their work into meaningful conservation actions. Graduate students face the same problems and must contend with obstacles such as limited opportunities for relevant interdisciplinary training and a lack of institutional support for application of research results. However, students also have a crucial set of opportunities (e.g., access to academic resources outside their degree programs and opportunities to design research projects promoting collaboration with stakeholders) at their disposal to address these problems. On the basis of results of breakout discussions at a symposium on the human dimensions of the ocean, a review of the literature, and our own experiences, we devised recommendations on how graduate students can create resources within their academic institutions, institutionalize resources, and engage with stakeholders to promote real-world conservation outcomes. Within their academic institutions, graduate students should foster links to practitioners and promote knowledge and skill sharing among students. To institutionalize resources, students should cultivate student leaders and faculty sponsors, systematically document their program activities, and engage in strategic planning to promote the sustainability of their efforts. While conducting research, students should create connections to and engage actively with stakeholders in their relevant study areas and disseminate research results both to stakeholders and the broader public. Our recommendations can serve as a template for graduate students wishing to bridge the research-implementation gap, both during their current studies and in their future careers as conservation researchers and practitioners.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA, 98195, U.S.A.. dianap@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Diana M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Pietri
authors.forename: Georgina G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Gurney
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Benitez-Vina
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuklok
authors.forename: Sara M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: Libby
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Whiting
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vina
authors.forename: Lekelia D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005178:Faculty; D007857:Leadership; D012106:Research; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities
keywords: brecha investigación - implementación; conservation education; educación de licenciatura; educación para la conservación; graduate education; interdisciplinary research; investigación interdisciplinaria; research-implementation gap