Stakeholder involvement for management of the coastal zone

Abstract

The European Union (EU) has taken the lead to promote the management of coastal systems. Management strategies are implemented by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), as well as the recent Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive. Most EU directives have a strong focus on public participation; however, a recent review found that the actual involvement of stakeholders was variable. The "Architecture and roadmap to manage multiple pressures on lagoons" (ARCH) research project has developed and implemented participative methodologies at different case study sites throughout Europe. These cases represent a broad range of coastal systems, and they highlight different legislative frameworks that are relevant for coastal zone management. Stakeholder participation processes were subsequently evaluated at 3 case study sites in order to assess the actual implementation of participation in the context of their respective legislative frameworks: 1) Byfjorden in Bergen, Norway, in the context of the WFD; 2) Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece, in the context of the MSFD; and 3) Nordre Älv Estuary, Sweden, in the context of the MSP Directive. An overall assessment of the evaluation criteria indicates that the ARCH workshop series methodology of focusing first on the current status of the lagoon or estuary, then on future challenges, and finally on identifying management solutions provided a platform that was conducive for stakeholder participation. Results suggest that key criteria for a good participatory process were present and above average at the 3 case study sites. The results also indicate that the active engagement that was initiated at the 3 case study sites has led to capacity building among the participants, which is an important intermediary outcome of public participation. A strong connection between participatory processes and policy can ensure the legacy of the intermediary outcomes, which is an important and necessary start toward more permanent resource management outcomes such as ecological and economic improvement. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:701-710. © 2016 SETAC.

A stakeholder analysis for sustainable development of Maritime Village in Semarang coastal community, Indonesia

“…Furthermore, Longart et al (2017) and Minnaert (2020) conducted in-depth analyses and found that knowing the responsibilities, roles, and shared commitments is necessary for conducting stakeholder analysis in the tourism sector of coastal areas. In addition, few research linked the concept to sustainable maritime villages, such as Oen et al (2016) in Europe that active involvement and participation of stakeholders can increase the economic and ecological impacts in environmental management of coastal areas. This paper aims to contribute to public administration by exploring stakeholder analysis in sustainable development in coastal areas.…”

Realizing the Social Dimension of EU Coastal Water Management

“…Public participation as a feature of the MSFD has generated limited attention in the scientific literature, in particular the empirical study of how participation in the implementation of the MSFD plays out in practice [71,72]. van Leeuwen et al [73] point to the complicating factor that the MSFD is 'layered upon pre-existing regulatory instruments and policy initiatives' at national, EU and international level.…”

Evaluating rural participation in wetland management: A contingent valuation analysis of the set-aside policy in Iran

“…Though of growing scientific and policy interest, there remains a paucity of data regarding farmer attitudes to participation in sustainable wetland management actions and the factors that influence their involvement. One of the major issues raised by opponents of the set-aside plan is that rural economic and social participation is under-represented, and yet is needed for the successful implementation of wetland protection procedures (Oen et al, 2016). Understanding the barriers and motivations for participation is therefore of significant policy relevance (Ghanian et al, 2020), not only in Iran, but also in other regions where farmers are high-priority stakeholders in wetland conservation under conditions of population growth, climate change, institutional complexity and water stress.…”