Public land management agencies in the US are committed to using science-informed decision making, but there has been little research on the types and topics of science that managers need most to inform their decisions. We used the National Environmental Policy Act to identify four types of science information needed for making decisions relevant to public lands: (1) data on resources of concern, (2) scientific studies relevant to potential effects of proposed actions, (3) methods for quantifying potential effects of proposed actions, and (4) effective mitigation measures. We then used this framework to analyze 70 Environmental Assessments completed by the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado. Commonly proposed actions were oil and gas development, livestock grazing, land transactions, and recreation. Commonly analyzed resources included terrestrial wildlife, protected birds, vegetation, and soils. Focusing research efforts on the intersection of these resources and actions, and on developing and evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation measures to protect these resources, could strengthen the science foundation for public lands decision making.

中文翻译：

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优先考虑科学努力，为公共土地决策提供信息

美国的公共土地管理机构致力于使用科学决策，但对管理者最需要的科学类型和主题的研究很少。我们利用《国家环境政策法》确定了做出与公共土地相关的决策所需的四类科学信息：（1）有关所关注资源的数据，（2）与拟议行动的潜在影响相关的科学研究，（3）量化拟议行动的潜在影响，以及 (4) 有效的缓解措施。然后，我们使用该框架分析了科罗拉多州土地管理局完成的 70 项环境评估。通常提出的行动包括石油和天然气开发、牲畜放牧、土地交易和娱乐。通常分析的资源包括陆地野生动物、受保护鸟类、植被和土壤。将研究工作重点放在这些资源和行动的交叉点上，以及制定和评估保护这些资源的缓解措施的有效性上，可以加强公共土地决策的科学基础。