Most scientists would be interested in having their work influencing "policy." This is the aim of numerous national and international initiatives in conservation biology. There are some complications to this problem that are not always examined. Specifically, the fact that there is no single policy level, there are policies, in plural, that as a rule change with the scale. Therefore, in conservation initiatives, for instance, where there are several levels of stakeholders, the values, language and negotiation costumes and rules probably change from the national to the local levels. Policy is thus not invariant to scale shifts. Another often ignored complication is that the process of affecting policy is very long and time-consuming. It is best attempted institutionally, by so called "bridging organizations."
Results/Conclusions
I use several examples from Mexico to illustrate these problems and possible solutions. Essentially, one needs to incorporate the different stakeholders, at different levels, in ways that promote their participation, according to their rules and interests. Institutions are better prepared to do this, rather than individual scientists.