Digital innovation through partnership between nature conservation organisations and academia: a qualitative impact assessment

Galán-Díaz, C. , Edwards, P., Nelson, J. D. and van der Wal, R. (2015) Digital innovation through partnership between nature conservation organisations and academia: a qualitative impact assessment. AMBIO, 44(S4), pp. 538-549. (doi: 10.1007/s13280-015-0704-2) (PMID:26508342) (PMCID:PMC4623857)

Abstract

Nature conservation organisations increasingly turn to new digital technologies to help deliver conservation objectives. This has led to collaborative forms of working with academia to spearhead digital innovation. Through in-depth interviews with three UK research-council-funded case studies, we show that by working with academics conservation organisations can receive positive and negative impacts, some of which cut across their operations. Positive impacts include new ways of engaging with audiences, improved data workflows, financial benefits, capacity building and the necessary digital infrastructure to help them influence policy. Negative impacts include the time and resources required to learn new skills and sustain new technologies, managing different organisational objectives and shifts in working practices as a result of the new technologies. Most importantly, collaboration with academics was shown to bring the opportunity of a profound change in perspectives on technologies with benefits to the partner organisations and individuals therein.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The research in this paper is supported by the RCUK dot.rural Digital economy Research Hub, University of Aberdeen (Grant reference: EP/G066051/1).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Galan-Diaz, Dr Carlos
• Authors: Galán-Díaz, C., Edwards, P., Nelson, J. D., and van der Wal, R.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences
• Journal Name: AMBIO
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 0044-7447
• ISSN (Online): 1654-7209
• Published Online: 27 October 2015
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 The Authors
• First Published: First published in AMBIO 44(S4): 538-549
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license