Delphi technique: Bridging shorebird scientists' and managers' knowledge

Human disturbance has been identified by shorebird researchers and land managers alike as one of the most serious threats facing shorebirds. Yet, reducing disturbance during migration presents managers with challenges, such as... [ view full abstract ]

Human disturbance has been identified by shorebird researchers and land managers alike as one of the most serious threats facing shorebirds. Yet, reducing disturbance during migration presents managers with challenges, such as conflict with beachgoers. The on-the-ground realities managers face can create gaps between recommendations published in the scientific literature and feasible management actions. To address this issue, we employed the Delphi technique to bring scientists and managers together to develop a consensus definition of human disturbance and a list of priority disturbance types that affect migratory shorebirds. The Delphi technique is an iterative consensus-building method used for achieving convergence of opinion on a topic. This interactive technique allows participants from varying geographic locations and types of expertise to learn from each other while working together to co-produce a shared understanding. Managers and scientists with extensive knowledge on human disturbance to shorebirds in the Northeast Region were solicited to participate. Forty-four participants responded to the first round (response rate = 82%). We tracked and compared responses between managers and scientists to identify differences and similarities between these groups over four rounds of surveys. Respondents self-identified as managers (n=15), scientists (n=16), or both manager and scientist (n=13). Respondents reported an average of 18 years of experience managing or researching human disturbance to shorebirds. We identified 13 themes in response to a request for an open-ended definition of human disturbance to shorebirds. There were no differences between groups in which themes were reflected in their definitions. In sum, respondents provided 94 unique disturbance activity types. The groups differed in the mean number of types they listed; on average, scientists mentioned significantly less disturbance types than the members of the manager/scientist group. We will also present results on the extent to which scientists’ and managers’ responses converged over the four rounds. The outputs of the Delphi technique will inform a Best Management Practices document for shorebird management in the Northeastern U.S. We hope that the document will be usable and effective due to the participation of scientists and managers in co-production, made possible by the Delphi technique.