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The Australian Development Gateway (ADG) strives to support members of the development community in their efforts to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. The site has been created with participation from members of government, private, academia and non-government organisations. User feedback mechanisms have been incorporated to guide future directions of the site. The site is optimised for low bandwidth access to enable the widest participation throughout the Asia Pacific region.

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Integration

Integrative research: concepts of connection in environmental science and policy (pdf 166kb)

This paper reviews the different concepts of integration that currently exist in international and Australian science and environmental policy contexts.  It aims to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how integration can contribute to better environmental outcomes.

The idea of integration in research has risen rapidly in both environmental science and public environmental policy since the mid-1990s, and has encouraged innovative relationships between scientists and practitioners in a range of contexts. Yet the concept of integration is broad and ambiguous, which inhibits efforts to learn from these innovations.
 
Drawing on case studies, the paper identifies twelve thematic categories of integration. The themes encompass integration within science, as well as integration between science and non-scientific partners. They also include integration focused on activities, and on the organisational or institutional structures that govern research activity.
 
 

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