1 Integrating Scientific Information, Stakeholder Interests, and Political Concerns By Lawrence Susskind, Patrick Field, and Mieke van der Wansem, and Jennifer Peyser Introduction Central to resource and environmental management is the question of what qualifies as fact. Regulatory agencies have responsibility for deciding what new studies are needed, who should conduct them, and what existing data are acceptable sources of information for rulemaking, permitting, management plans, and other decisions. However, public and private stakeholders have the right to question the credibility of the scientists and the science used, to generate studies of their own, and to challenge the decisions that use this information. These challenges may come in the form of public outcry, public relations campaigns, or even litigation. While such efforts provide an outlet for airing concerns, they tend to add to the overall level of public uncertainty. Often, there is no forum to evaluate what, whether, and how scientific and technical information should be incorporated into specific policy decisions. No matter the scale, scope, or substance, all environmental and resource management challenges are characterized by the need to make difficult choices about how to value scarce resources and the need to cope with scientific uncertainty. Collaborative decision- making processes can seek to involve contending stakeholders in making these decisions together. Their goal is to respond to all rather than choose among competing interests and competing approaches to handling scientific uncertainty. Joint fact finding, as part of a larger consensus building process, offers a mechanism to bring together decision makers, stakeholders, and scientific and technical experts to build a common base of knowledge to inform resource management decisions. Joint fact finding promotes integration across disciplines, across sectors, and across agencies, and allows for the consideration and incorporation of social, cultural, economic, and ecological principles in the formation of environmental and resource management and policy decisions. General Problem Resource and environmental management involves multiple parties with multiple interests, different levels of technical expertise, varying scientific backgrounds, and competing political priorities. Because of these factors, there is a tendency for decision makers to separate science from other important resource management considerations. Often, decision makers see questions of science as distinct from questions of values. This can blind them to the nonobjective decisions that are inherent in the generation and interpretation of scientific data.