From discovery to decision: What does it take to move from scientific evidence to environmental policy and action?

Bridging the science-policy-implementation gaps is crucial in an era of global environmental threats to human well-being. Here, we evaluate (i) the time lag in the uptake of ecological concepts by United Nations environmental conventions, (ii) how concept age and typology modulate uptake, and (ii) the policy-implementation effectiveness gap, focusing on biodiversity conservation. On average, the uptake of ecological concepts takes seven years, with shorter lags for older concepts. Concept general type did not modulate uptake, except for the Climate Change convention, which favoured atmospheric and abiotic elements, reflecting a focus on mitigation. Instead, concept uptake is quite idiosyncratic, probably depending on the alignment level of the scientific and political agendas on particular topics. The policy-implementation gap is scale-dependent, with more effective implementation at local scales. Improving the quality and impact of future environmental policies and actions calls for co-production approaches that align the goals of scientists, policymakers and stakeholders.