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Solutions to environmental concerns are usually complex and it is not always obvious how to determine what information is needed to achieve conservation goals. This is particularly true when decision-makers have only a hazy idea of their requirements. The price for not pursuing this challenge is heavy.
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Information needs analysis is an important early stage of the information cycle introduced in Volume 1. The analysis provides an opportunity for methods of collaboration to be established between information providers and users. If it is conducted in a consultative, inclusive manner, numerous benefits are gained.
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Much background work may be necessary to review the legal and regulatory framework affecting an environmental issue before beginning information needs analysis. Important aspects to review include the historic progression of policies and practices leading to the current situation; the need to accommodate, not conflict with related policies and plans; and the degree of mutual confidence and cooperation amongst the stakeholders concerned. Such knowledge injects realism into the information needs analysis, and helps identify what information may be needed for practical policy changes.
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There are a great many tools and methods which can be applied to information needs analysis. Any particular analysis may require only a subset of these, the most appropriate methods depending on its depth, the nature of the issues being addressed, the range of stakeholders involved, and the previous experience of the team. Most methods are designed to clarify goals and, in some cases, achieve consensus amongst stakeholders with widely differing perspectives.
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In 1995, the British Department for International Development (DFID—formerly ODA) and the forestry commission of a country with a high proportion of tropical forest cover embarked on a five-year support project to strengthen the capacity of forestry sector institutions to manage the country's forest resources. In mapping out capacity building requirements, monitoring was noted as a priority area but strategic information for policy and planning was not explicitly included.
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