Strengthening links between waterfowl research and management / Anthony Roberts, John M. Eadie, David W. Howerter, Fred A. Johnson, James D. Nichols, Michael C. Runge, Mark P. Vrtiska, and Byron K. Williams.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 264-265).

Waterfowl monitoring, research, regulation, and adaptive planning are leading the way in
supporting science-informed wildlife management. However, increasing societal demands on natural
resources have created a greater need for adaptable and successful linkages between waterfowl science and
management. We presented a special session at the 2016 North American Duck Symposium, Annapolis,
Maryland, USA on the successes and challenges of linking research and management in waterfowl
conservation, and we summarize those thoughts in this commentary. North American waterfowl
management includes a diversity of actions including management of harvest and habitat. Decisions for
waterfowl management are structured using decision analysis by incorporating stakeholder values into formal
objectives, identifying research relevant to objectives, integrating scientific knowledge, and choosing an
optimal strategy with respect to objectives. Recently, the consideration of the value of information has been
proposed as a means to evaluate the utility of research designed to meet objectives. Despite these advances,
the ability to conduct waterfowl research with direct management application may be increasingly difficult in
research institutions for several reasons including reduced funding for applied research and the lower
perceived value of applied versus theoretical research by some university academics. In addition, coordination
between researchers and managers may be logistically constrained, and communication may be ineffective
between the 2 groups. Strengthening these links would help develop stronger and more coordinated
approaches for the conservation of waterfowl and the wetlands upon which they depend.