Multistakeholder platforms for natural resource governance: lessons from eight landscape-level cases

Abstract

Multistakeholder platforms (MSPs) are the subject of increasing attention and investment in the domain of collaborative natural resource governance, yet evidence-based guidance is slim on policy and investment priorities to leverage the MSP approach. We provide a comparative analysis of eight landscape-level MSPs spanning seven countries (Peru, Brazil, India, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and a cross-border case from Kenya and Somalia), representing a diversity of resource systems covering forests, rangelands, and multiuse agricultural landscapes. Applying an adapted social-ecological systems framework, our synthesis identifies the influence of these MSPs on patterns of stakeholder interaction and draws implications for the design and organization of MSPs that are both appropriate and effective. From the cases, we distill lessons addressing: (1) how to design an MSP in relation to the governance context, including the fit between institutional and ecological dimensions of the system and with attention to cross-scale linkages; (2) how to implement inclusive processes that address power inequities, including through capacity building and procedural rules; and (3) how to support adaptive learning to expand the MSP's influence over time, including monitoring outcomes, adapting the scope of stakeholder engagement, and investing in MSP durability.

Decision biases and environmental attitudes among conservation professionals

“…Governments around the world are increasingly bringing stakeholders together in pursuit of mutually acceptable solutions for natural resource management challenges (e.g., Ratner et al, 2022). This is exemplified in Canada in the management of Woodland Caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou ), a high‐profile and threatened species characterized by large ranges, low population densities, aversion to disturbance, and reliance on late seral stage forest (Superbie et al, 2022).…”

The Role of Multistakeholder Platforms in Environmental Governance: Analyzing Stakeholder Perceptions in Kalomo District, Zambia, Using Q-Method

“…Second, acknowledging that no single rationality or objective truth may claim to define the ideal MSP is critical to embracing the plurality of stakeholders and their viewpoints, which adds new dimensions to problem analysis and facilitates "continuous learning and adaptive management" (Sayer et al 2013, p. 8351). Third, a collection of discourses about MSPs may contain complementary or competing views necessary to enrich policy options from different perspectives (Ratner et al 2019). This array of perspectives enriches debates in developing research-informed policies for landscape sustainability.…”

“…Scholars have applied different terms to refer to MSPs in the landscape governance literature, including stakeholder forums, multistakeholder dialogues, stakeholder partnerships, and multistakeholder networks (Barletti and Larson 2019 ; van Ewijk and Ros-Tonen 2021 ; Ratner et al 2022 ). Often, stakeholder perceptions are reflected in how MSPs are defined and what they are expected to accomplish.…”

“…Often, stakeholder perceptions are reflected in how MSPs are defined and what they are expected to accomplish. In the recent decade, the roles of MSPs in landscape governance have become more recognized for their ability to support participatory and inclusive decision-making (Ratner et al 2022 ). Landscape governance approaches such as ILAs that seek to reconcile divergent interests require a fuller appreciation of the differentiated opinions of diverse stakeholders.…”

“…However, in landscape governance literature, discourses about how stakeholders perceive and frame the role of MSPs in addressing landscape challenges have received limited attention (Sarmiento Barletti et al 2022 ). Nevertheless, MSPs are widely promoted as an essential component of integrated landscape approaches (ILAs) that aim to bring stakeholders together to negotiate trade-offs between competing land uses and conservation-development aims (Kusters et al 2020 ; Ratner et al 2022 ). Despite this, there is insufficient literature examining how stakeholders perceive the role and function of MSPs to help resolve social-ecological challenges at the landscape level (Larson et al 2022 ).…”