Summary
Once the need for a strategy has emerged on a territory in answer to an environmental issue, the first step is to identify the project core team that will lead the process. It can be one stakeholder or more often and more efficiently, a partnership between managers or regulators and scientists. This project core group or team will run the participatory assessment and will be in charge of the stakeholder engagement. This group has to be legitimated in its action on the territory for the project to be efficient.
For example, most European projects funding ask for stakeholder engagement in the project to ensure that the research is relevant to society.
This has led to many case studies originated and led by scientists, with a top-down approach of research choosing the environmental issue and presenting their results and solutions to stakeholders with a quite nominal implication (Voinov and Bousquet, 2010). For example, the framework of ecosystem services valuation – developed to support sustainable decision making and tradeoffs – has inspired a lot of academic literature but not that many ‘real life’ utilisation (Laurans et al, 2013)
Various reasons or events may lead to address environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, water quality, floods, fires…
For example:
- Issue arising from public awareness
- Development of a land-use plan
- Elaboration or implementation of a public policy
- Recurrent issue dealt with on an ongoing basis by an institution
- Crisis
- Scientific questioning or awareness-raising on a specific issue
Once the need for a management strategy has arisen in an area in response to an environmental issue, the first step is to identify the core project team that will lead the process.
Most European project funding requires stakeholder engagement to ensure that the research is relevant to society. This has meant that many case studies are initiated and led by scientists, with a top-down approach of researchers selecting the environmental issue and presenting their results and solutions to stakeholders with rather nominal involvement[47]. For example, the ecosystem services valuation framework – developed to support sustainable decision-making and trade-offs – has inspired much academic literature but not much ‘real-life’ application[30].
For the participatory assessment to be effective, the leadership of the project should be carefully chosen. It may be a single stakeholder or, more often and more effectively, a partnership between managers – or regulators – and scientists. This group or core project team will lead the participatory assessment and be responsible for involving stakeholders. This core team must be legitimised in its action in the territory for the project to be effective.
Solid and balanced project leadership between management and science is essential to achieve strong stakeholder engagement and relevant perspectives on the issues at stake.
For additional information
Date: November 2017-2020
Credits: Denis Bailly, Johanna Ballé, Klervi Fustec, Juliette Herry, Michel Lample, Manuelle Philippe.