Interaction between science and politics: The case of public measures on biodiversity conservation in Rio de Janeiro state (Brazil)

In Brazil the relationship between the scientific knowledge currently available and the formulation of public policies still deserves more attention, especially when it concerns environmental issues. Although the Brazilian government has been promoting the approximation between scientists and enterprises in the area of technological development, very little has been done to facilitate the use of scientific knowledge in policy making processes.

This article intends to discuss the limits and possibilities of utilizing science as a base for political decision making. In order to do that it will analyze the means by which social actors involved with the elaboration of three public measures for biodiversity conservation in the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ, Brazil) make use of scientific knowledge.

Policy makers involved in the process which established two areas of environmental conservation, and in the formulation of the so-called Atlantic Forest Law to regulate the anthropic activity in the remaining areas of this biome, were interviewed.

At least four configurations of interrelation between the scientific and the political realm were identified: (1) when a politician seeks scientific grounding; (2) when the resort to science is intermediated by technical knowledge which translates scientific knowledge; (3) when scientific knowledge is dismissed for not corresponding to hegemonic political interests; (4) when science is perceived as an additional political field, with a dispute for greater legitimization between different paradigms.

We hope to contribute towards developing a critical argumentation on the linear approach in the formulation of public policies based on scientific evidence and on the model of co-production of knowledge. Thus, we hope to promote and to contribute towards a reflection on the limits and possibilities of bridging the communication gap between science and politics against the backdrop of sustainable development