Collaboration among scientists and stakeholders is increasingly valued in research to coproduce knowledge and research products that better inform decision making and enact meaningful change. We present an example of effective coproduction of knowledge to protect water quality along the Mississippi–Alabama coast using a comprehensive approach that tracked progress from initial research through product assessment. We coproduced an education and decision support tool known as “Our Wastewater Footprint” and engaged communities through a variety of public outreach efforts, adapting the product to meet the needs of individual end users. We assessed the effectiveness of our efforts by tracking attendance at outreach activities, measuring website traffic, and collecting survey data from end users after product use. Data from >9,900 users indicated that presentations at community events and print and social media posts most efficiently reached large audiences using limited resources, and social media posts were most effective in promoting changes in behavior and attitudes on a social level. This case study exemplifies how involving stakeholders in research and product development can increase community engagement in stewardship and prompt change to enhance water quality. Our results tangibly demonstrate that meaningful assessment of the administrative and social impacts of coproduced knowledge is feasible and can be accomplished in a short period of time.

Asian carp were introduced in the 1970s as an environmentally friendly alternative to chemicals for cleaning aquaculture ponds. The carp escaped from their ponds and entered the Mississippi River system, leaving behind a path of destruction. Now, they are just a few miles away from the Great Lakes where they pose a threat to the billion-dollar fishing industry. One of the challenges in dealing with the problem is the diverse array of stakeholders involved who all have very different perspectives, concerns, and ideas about this policy problem. This case study demonstrates the challenges of stakeholder management in public policy and gives readers an analytical framework for thinking about stakeholder interests.

The ruptures of two iron ore dams in two municipalities of southeastern Brazil have caused immeasurable economic, social, and environmental damages. This case report describes the ruptures of Mariana dam in 2015 and the Brumadinho dam in 2019, as well as their causes and consequences. The companies responsible for managing the dams are Mineradora Samarco and Vale S.A. We analyze the “Risk and Disaster Communication” activities implemented by those companies. Moreover, it was difficult to access information about the affected communities, as the responsible companies failed to communicate throughout the incidents. As a result of this lack of communication and searching for answers and strategies to ensure a space capable of expanding access to information in an updated and reliable way for the population of the affected territories, we developed the Disaster Information Monitoring System (SIGDesastre). We think that by mapping communication devices and concentrating them in a virtual space it is possible to elicit nonhegemonic discourse, creating new knowledge and contributing to improvements in the risk communication process.

This case study examines how smallholder coffee producers can overcome the economic and environmental challenges from dominant production structures of agrochemical application and the sale of unprocessed beans at low, market-determined prices. This study is guided by the questions posed by local coffee farmers themselves: How can one successfully shift away from wasteful and harmful practices to those that support the health of the family, community, and environment? We track how El Toledo Coffee Farm in Costa Rica has harnessed natural systems and knowledge sharing, facilitated by international travel to transform challenges into opportunities. Here, we highlight how this family-run coffee farm has (1) implemented agroecological methods, (2) harnessed economic benefits of processing organic coffee and developing innovative products from coffee fruits, and (3) examine psychological factors that have made these transformations possible. By examining the development of integrated coffee production from three distinct academic perspectives, we found that mental flexibility and receptiveness to new ideas, combined with an appreciation of sustainable, traditional practices and values, have spawned various beneficial agroecological practices. These ideas and practices were often initiated by interactions with visitors to the farm, supporting the idea that globalization can foster sustainable food systems and promote collective ecological action through knowledge transfer and shared concern for local environments and communities. The mentality of embracing challenges as opportunities to invest in healthy soils and agroforestry and expand their business model by offering tours and varied products replicates ecological resilience attained through diversity.

Terrestrial ecosystems in Iceland have undergone tremendous alterations and degradation ever since the Norse first settled there in 870 C.E. Soon after recognizing the value of their land, the Norse tried to restore the damage they had done. Initial environmental protection efforts like these eventually gave way to a deep-rooted Icelandic environmentalism in the early 1900s that was both resolute and idealistic. A widespread ecological movement in the 1970s then later brought forth an ideological shift: calls for Icelandic environmental policy to be more heavily rooted in the sciences. Nevertheless, there are a number of nonscientific factors still contributing to the development of current land conservation policies and practices in Iceland. This article analyzes two case studies: The first considers the development of the 2004–2008 Nature Conservation Strategy of Iceland, while the second examines reforestation policy regarding nonnative Alaskan Nootka Lupin. Both cases speak to these nonscientific factors and how they are intrinsically embedded in environmental policy development in Iceland. These factors include the issues of conceptual clarity (or lack thereof), aesthetic values, conflicting interests, and personal values. Anthropogenically induced environmental impacts have been continually and increasingly felt all across the globe. This case study is therefore not only timely, but it also exemplifies how environmental policy may be developed in responses to these impacts.

Fisheries management is both an ecological and a social venture. After all, to achieve sustainable fish stocks, fisheries managers must gain the compliance, if not cooperation, of industry stakeholders. In New England (United States), this process is further complicated by sociocultural and political institutions around individual choice and mistrust of government. These challenges have been especially evident during Donald Trump’s candidacy and presidential administration, since a significant part of his political appeal is based on anti-government, anti-elite, and individualist ideologies. At the same time, a number of fishing communities in New England have side-stepped mistrust of the government and science through the creation of bridge organizations that connect industry stakeholders directly to sustainable practices. This article explores both the particular challenges posed by American norms around governance and individualism and the success of bridge organizations in overcoming the sustainability limitations set by those norms. Based on interviews with fisheries stakeholders like Ole, Stevie, and Jim (conducted between 2015 and 2019), this research explores identity built around individualism against the backdrop of the Trump administration and considers whether sustainability can once again be a part of what it means to be a “good fisherman” in New England. Ultimately, the paper contends that, in spite of deeply rooted norms around individualism and distrust of political and scientific authority, organizations that bridge fisheries stakeholders and fisheries managers can help to integrate sustainability practices into New England fishing communities.