Framing integrated research to address a dynamically complex issue: The red headed cockchafer challenge

Abstract

In South East Australia redheaded cockchafers Adoryphorous coulonii are a pasture pest with an increasing economic impact on the dairy industry. The industry is taking a strategic and systemic approach to identifying the research needs and management responses in recognition of the dynamic complexity of the issue. We discuss the process used to help a range of farmers, industry stakeholders, and scientists to achieve a shared understanding of the cockchafer-pasture-agribusiness system. This process provided an integrative framework for the generation of hypotheses that can be used to design effective trans-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary research.