How Does the Local Knowledge of Scientists Influence Their Impact on Governance Performance?

Although numerous studies have emphasized the importance of local knowledge and science, as well as collaboration between local people and scientists in social and environmental governance, it is often assumed that local people produce and possess only local knowledge while scientists have only scientific knowledge. The aim of this study was to explore whether and how the local knowledge of scientists influences their impact on governance performance, using desertification control in northern China as a typical case. This research produces three major findings. (1) Scientists' local knowledge did improve their impact on desertification control. (2) Among the three important types of local knowledge, an understanding of local social relationships, wisdom, and methods was more important than an understanding of local conditions. (3) Successful applications of local knowledge by scientists shared seven collaborative factors that stressed the scientists' local knowledge, the scientists' behaviours, and laws and regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]