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Since the start of the Knowledge for Regional NRM Program a key message we have received is that the volume of information available is overwhelming and often conflicting.
There are lots of different ways to synthesise information, however one technique not currently used in Australian NRM is the 'Systematic Review'. Systematic Reviews are used extensively in both the medical and education sectors.
Systematic Reviews are a rigorous and objective way of drawing conclusions from multiple sources of evidence and they have the following key characteristics:
- the search terms and sources of data and information are identified up front
- the sources of evidence are assessed for their quality against predefined measures
- a systematic meta-analysis is undertaken to standardise data from multiple studies (where sufficient data is available).
Before a review is undertaken it is a requirement that a formal protocol (i.e methodology) for the review is established and peer reviewed. One of the review questions is currently at the stage of having its protocol reviewed (access the draft protocol here). See http://www.cebc.bangor.ac.uk for more information on the Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation process and examples of completed reviews.