Top 100 ecological questions published

NORWICH, England, June 8 (UPI) -- British environmental policy makers have come up with a list of the "top 100" ecological questions most in need of an answer.

The list is the result of an innovative experiment involving more than 600 environmental policy makers and academics, and includes crucial questions, such as which United Kingdom habitats and species might be lost due to climate change.

Researchers say the list should help bridge the gap between science and policy that exists in many disciplines -- including ecology -- and could, therefore, have a major impact on future ecological research and funding.

The lead author of the study, University of East Anglia Professor Bill Sutherland, says there is too little information flow between scientists and policy makers.

"Narrowing this gap would be very beneficial in generating policies that are based on sound science," said Sutherland. "Conversely, it is desirable that research should be more clearly directed at issues that influence policy."

Ecologists hope the list will have a major impact on both science and policy, as have similar lists of research questions in other fields, such as mathematics.

The list appears online in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology.