Scientific practice and funding: An awaiting debate in Ecology

Abstract

In the present article we analyze and discuss the interactions among the practice of the Ecology, funding sources and environmental problems. These interactions have two point of view that reflect the explicit or subtle ways in which 1) funding sources have influences on the scientific practice and 2) science have an effect on the funding agents . We explore these two aspects, discussing on the mechanisms that help in concealing the intrinsic tension of this relationship, displacing the discussion out of the scientific agenda. We focus on the epistemological conceptions that explain the absence of inquiry regarding the influence of funding source in the scientific practice. We also explore the fact that since one of the aims of Ecology is to look for solutions to environmental problems it is strongly affected by the demands of the society. Ecology, therefore, could be used by funding agents to legitimate their own interests, which may be far from the answers that society demands from Ecology. We conclude that the incorporation of this debate in the scientist’s agenda is crucial for the discipline development, in particular for applied researches on environmental problems.