| Description: |
Mutual science/data-question goals catalyze action (Kading and Kingston 2020) yet hurdles remain prevalent across ecosystems (Scott 2023). We see opportunities for potential improvements for building a more sustainable commons network, if "external" expertise could be brought into the data mobilization and knowledge-sharing tools and processes. Using Polycentric Governance (PG) model ideas, we share some current experiences from the Species File Group (SFG) and our collaborators. PG is defined as "a system consisting of multiple stakeholders who collaborate to govern a limited, common-pool resource" (see Scott 2023).From this commons perspective, multiple groups, including the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) and Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) organizations and members, invest in our socio-technical-environmental (STE) shared resources, e.g., data, collections, knowledge, human capacity, infrastructure, and the planet. We want to avoid a "tragedy of the commons" scenario, where a shared resource disappears or becomes unusable (e.g., infrastructure fails). Awareness, understanding, and expertise need to be present across our common pool. The PG model suggests one needs a "good social fit" between the groups and the elements in the common-pool resources system. Some PG network positive attributes include clear benefits to diverse groups in the pool, processes that foster social learning, and success in overcoming interlinked challenges (Scott 2023).From SFG activities, we see the above benefits. Cross-discipline and department local events held (e.g., workshops) broaden spheres-of-influence and foster awareness and mentoring opportunities. Day-to-day interactions with our collections leadership and software adopters give us the chance to share the existence/value in the work of such projects as Plazi, Bionomia, Global Names, Catalogue of Life, and tools like OpenRefine. Through this knowledge transfer and discovery, members of our community now ask for more actionable ... |