A framework for stakeholder engagement during systematic reviews and maps in environmental management

Abstract

People have a stake in conservation and environmental management both for their own interests and the sake of the environment itself. Environmental decision-making has changed somewhat in recent decades to account for unintentional impacts on human wellbeing. The involvement of stakeholders in environmental projects has been recognised as critical for ensuring their success and equally for the syntheses of evidence of what works, where, and for whom, providing key benefits and challenges. As a result of increased interest in systematic reviews of complex management issues, there is a need for guidance in best practices for stakeholder engagement. Here, we propose a framework for stakeholder engagement in systematic reviews/systematic maps, highlighting recommendations and advice that are critical for effective, efficient and meaningful engagement of stakeholders. The discussion herein aims to provide a toolbox of stakeholder engagement activities, whilst also recommending approaches from stakeholder engagement research that may prove to be particularly useful for systematic reviews and systematic maps.

Knowledge production and environmental conflict: managing systematic reviews and maps for constructive outcomes

“…First and foremost, the four dimensions that we raise need to be addressed already in the early planning of a review, which should ideally include an assessment about the nature of issues at hand and the potential role that knowledge production may have in contributing to constructively managing a potential conflict situation. The planning phase should-in addition to standard ethics review and assessment of risk and opportunities associated with the work-involve a systematic stakeholder mapping [23] and judgements when systematic reviews and maps can play a constructive role. Already in making this judgement stakeholders need to be involved, since their perspectives and knowledges will determine what type of review is most relevant.…”

Much at stake: the importance of training and capacity building for stakeholder engagement in evidence synthesis

“…Systematic review and map methods training inherently involves challenges, some of which are particularly apparent when the training is aimed at non-specialists or a nonresearch focused audience [3]. These challenges include:…”

“…In particular, where conflict between different stakeholder groups arises, those facilitating engagement activities may find their role very challenging. Here, training in conflict management may prove useful [3,13]. However, such training along with carefully planned stakeholder engagement can add significantly to costs, and reviewers must take care to remain within budget (Challenge 7).…”

“…These include explaining review methods in sufficient but not unnecessary detail (Challenge 1), predicting and managing potential conflicts between different stakeholders, and maintaining interest and enthusiasm throughout the process (Challenge 3) [3]. In addition, engaging with stakeholders is a complex process [3,13], requiring careful planning to ensure balance and mitigation of any possible bias or undue influence from stakeholders on the systematic review or map [3]. Reviewers may need to undertake training in methods that can help manage stakeholder engagement.…”

“…In order to fully understand or conduct a systematic review or systematic map, reviewer authors, researchers, end-users and decision-makers (hereafter included within the term stakeholders; [3]) require detailed and comprehensive knowledge across a suite of research and communication skills. As this skillset is rare, training is a necessary part of the effort to increase adoption of systematic synthesis methods in environmental science and management.…”