BES Facebook groupBES-Defra Ministerial Shadowing Scheme
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007
Barry Gardiner MP, Minister for Biodiversity, invited five young ecologists to shadow him and Defra officials to get an insight into how Defra operates. The shadowing scheme proved very successful and will be repeated next year. The key points the shadowing scheme members gained from the experience are that ecologists need to:
- Understand that policymakers have to deal with a number of competing societal and economic pressures
- Communicate information in a clear and concise manner as information that reaches the Minister is highly condensed
- Listen to policymakers and understand public values
- Communicate their research not just policymakers, but also to the public and other interested parties (e.g. farmers)
