Dr. Lee Foote: Wicked Problems in Science & Policy Development
Channel: LanduseKN
Date: 20/10/2011

Dr. Lee Foote presented the Keynote at the workshop on Wicked Problems in Natural Resources and Land-use, June 8, 2012. Sponsored by the Alberta Land-use Knowledge Network, the Wicked Problems workshop was sparked by a comment by Dr. Lee Foote at the 2011 Alberta Soil Science Workshop that natural resource policy issues were typically "wicked problems". So Dr. Foote was recruited to be the keynote speaker at the first workshop for the Alberta Land-use Knowledge Network.

As policy development is typically a process of "probe, sense and respond" (a complexity process) the issues in natural resources are not simple. In fact for every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat and ...... wrong. 

As Dr. Foote points out: "Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them."  - Laurence J. Peter.

Dr. Foote provides a valuable guide to approaching, understanding and working through the multiple solution process for dealing with wicked problems.,