A case of benign neglect

Methodology

survey on the perspectives of different organizations and pastoralists also informed the gap analysis, concerning issues such as data-collection methods, data usage, perceptions of the reliability of data and information gaps, and the provision of technical support for pastoralism and rangeland management. This section outlines the scope, data sources and sampling used in the gap analysis. Findings of the study are presented in chapter 4. A more detailed presentation of the methodology is available in the Methodology Report .

What is a gap analysis? This report defines ‘gaps’ as information with a low ‘fitness of use’for policymakers, low data confidentiality, usage restrictions, limited accessibility of data sets, poor data integration, and a lack of long-term data (IPBES (2016). FAO (2008, 104) explains that an information gap analysis involves matching the available information to information needs, thereby identifying gaps in available information. Available information refers to existing types of information and its quality. Furthermore, a gap analysis focuses on factors that may explain poor information quality, for example, information that is not timely, not valid or reliable, uninterpretable, poorly managed or not easily accessible. Identifying reasons for poor information quality is important for designing actions to improve the information systems (FAO 2008). The gap analysis on which this report is based was conducted between 2017 and 2018. The report explores what data and information are available on pastoralists and rangelands, as well as how reliable different actors consider these to be. It also analyses types of technical support provided by multilateral organizations and through official development assistance (ODA) of member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The report assesses different information sources, such as assessments, data sets, project information and scientific publications. A

Stakeholders’ brainstorm at the Arendal working meeting. Kathrine I. Johnsen/GRID-Arendal

“A gap analysis determines the space between where something is and where it is desired to be. It serves as a means to bridge this space by identifying what has to be done in order to reach this desired state.”

will therefore have different perspectives on the adequacy and availability of the information. For example, for a policymaker, national data might be important for making informed decisions about laws and regulations; non-governmental organizations (NGOs) might need regional data to target activities; and researchers might need access to materials from different locations to analyse and contextualize issues affecting pastoralists and rangelands. Also, pastoralists might require access to local information to make informed decisions about herding strategies or marketing, or might need international information for policy lobbying, knowledge-sharing and networking. Faced with such ambiguity and diverse audiences, the study team spent considerable effort in first defining the information needs by determining the scope or system boundary.

(Borit and Olsen 2016, 2)

However, this report acknowledges that different actors have different needs for information and

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