Hybridizing Research and Decision-Making: a Path Toward Sustainability in Marine Spaces

Abstract Projecting the combined effect of management options and the evolving climate is necessary to inform shared sustainable futures for marine activities and biodiversity. However, engaging multi-sectoral stakeholders in biodiversity-use scenarios analysis remains a challenge. Using a marine social-ecological case study, we coupled co-designed visioning narratives at the horizon 2050 with an ecosystem-based model. Our analysis revealed a mismatch between the stated vision endpoints at 2050 and the model predictions narrative objectives. However, the discussions that arose from the approach opened the way for previously unidentified transformative pathways. Hybridizing research and decision-making with iterative collaborative modelling frameworks can enhance adaptive management policies, levering paths toward sustainability.