Modelling plant health for policy

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Ecology
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Plant health is underfunded relative to animal and human health, despite its complexity due to numerous pests, hosts, and open-system outbreaks.
• Current modeling approaches for plant health threats often lack accessibility and relevance for resource-limited decision-makers.
• Effective plant health management requires better tools to prioritize responses to pests and diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose solutions for developing accessible and relevant plant health models in collaboration with decision-makers.
• To illustrate how increased emphasis on plant health can expand the role of modeling in policy and decision-making.
• To analyze the co-construction of policy-linked models within the Credibility, Relevance, and Legitimacy (CRELE) framework.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing challenges in plant health modeling.
• Presenting a case study of developing plant health models with decision-makers.
• Applying the Credibility, Relevance, and Legitimacy (CRELE) framework to assess model development.

Main Results:

• Identified potential solutions for creating more accessible and relevant plant health models.
• Demonstrated the expanding role of modeling in plant health decision-making through a practical example.
• Highlighted the importance of co-construction and the CRELE framework for policy-linked models.

Conclusions:

• Developing collaborative, decision-maker-focused models is crucial for effective plant health management.
• The CRELE framework provides a valuable structure for evaluating and improving policy-linked models.
• Increased investment and focus on plant health research can drive innovation in modeling and decision support.