ID: 56
Presenting Author: Leoma Williams
Status: pending
This poster presents approaches for translating complex biodiversity data into accurate, accessible outputs while maintaining scientific integrity.
Effective communication of biodiversity data is critical to impact assessment and informed decision-making. RSK’s International Projects Group are often provided/collect ecological datasets to analyse for ESIAs, CHAs and related studies worldwide. These data can be highly technical yet must be interpreted by audiences with varying levels of scientific understanding, including developers, regulators, lenders and community stakeholders. Poorly communicated results can enable misinformation via oversimplification, selective presentation or intentional bias. This can lead to misinterpretation of project impacts or conservation outcomes. RSK therefore applies structured protocols that emphasise clarity, transparency and reproducibility. Data are presented using standardised formats, traceable workflows and consistent visualisation frameworks. Metadata, assumptions and uncertainties are explicitly stated to support independent verification. RSK has also found that it is when the initial IA have been completed, and the ongoing work of mitigation, monitoring, and management has begun, that clear communication can be the most vital. It is at these stages where we may have to communicate with a wide range of people, from survey teams to environmental managers. This might be through BAPs, monitoring manuals, or even training courses directed at non-technical audiences. By maintaining clarity and consistency across all stages of project delivery, RSK ensures that biodiversity data remains evidence-based and defensible to support credible decisions, while preventing the misuse of data.
Dr Leoma Williams is a Biodiversity Consultant within RSK's International Projects Group. She has a background in both popular science writing and academic publishing.
Coauthor 1: Douglas Tilbury