social acceptance were investigated: knowledge and awareness of the project,
support for the project, perceptions of socio-economic impacts, perceptions on
sustainable tourism, biodiversity and contrasting environment concern, likelihood
to visit to Leisure Island and how tourists willingness to visit the area will be affected
by the platform.
2.2.4 Results of Stakeholder Involvement
The results from Gran Canaria showed that there are concerns besides a general high
acceptance of the Leisure Island among tourists as well as residents. Benefits for the
tourist sector which are predicted to result in an increase of income and generation of
jobs become confronted with various potential environmental impacts, in particular
the disruption of marine species and habitats.
The results from Liuqiu Island, Taiwan, also demonstrated a generally high
acceptance of the Green & Blue platform among residents and tourists, although
most participants had been unaware of the project. Despite the general acceptance of
such a project, people also raised a number of specific concerns. These concerns are
predominantly related to environmental impacts and unclear effects on local fishing
and fish processing industries. Other issues that challenged the acceptance of the
project include uncertain environmental impacts and adverse effects caused by the
operation and construction of the platform. Perceptions of negative impacts were
balanced against potential benefits for tourism, which is a crucial economic driver
for Liuqiu Island.
This calls for a further examination of local concerns and how people make sense
of the interplay between the use of the platform and existing fisheries in order to
determine how both may inform, complement and exclude each other.
2.3 Stakeholders’ Involvement in MERMAID
2.3.1 The Importance to Involve Stakeholders
The MERMAID project had the aim to develop concepts for the next generation of
offshore activities for multi-use of ocean space. The project did not envisage to
actually implement these activities, but it examined new design concepts for combining offshore activities like energy extraction, aquaculture and platform-related
transport at various areas in the ocean. In order to achieve this, the MERMAID
project put the integration of technical, economic, ecological, spatial and social
aspects at the heart of the design of MUPs in two ways: first by analysing and
integrating all these aspects in the design and second by involving stakeholders in
the entire design process. For the latter, a participatory design process was developed
(Rasenberg et al. 2013). The objective of the participatory design process was to
2 Stakeholder Involvement in Technological Design: Lessons Learned from the. . .
29
support for the project, perceptions of socio-economic impacts, perceptions on
sustainable tourism, biodiversity and contrasting environment concern, likelihood
to visit to Leisure Island and how tourists willingness to visit the area will be affected
by the platform.
2.2.4 Results of Stakeholder Involvement
The results from Gran Canaria showed that there are concerns besides a general high
acceptance of the Leisure Island among tourists as well as residents. Benefits for the
tourist sector which are predicted to result in an increase of income and generation of
jobs become confronted with various potential environmental impacts, in particular
the disruption of marine species and habitats.
The results from Liuqiu Island, Taiwan, also demonstrated a generally high
acceptance of the Green & Blue platform among residents and tourists, although
most participants had been unaware of the project. Despite the general acceptance of
such a project, people also raised a number of specific concerns. These concerns are
predominantly related to environmental impacts and unclear effects on local fishing
and fish processing industries. Other issues that challenged the acceptance of the
project include uncertain environmental impacts and adverse effects caused by the
operation and construction of the platform. Perceptions of negative impacts were
balanced against potential benefits for tourism, which is a crucial economic driver
for Liuqiu Island.
This calls for a further examination of local concerns and how people make sense
of the interplay between the use of the platform and existing fisheries in order to
determine how both may inform, complement and exclude each other.
2.3 Stakeholders’ Involvement in MERMAID
2.3.1 The Importance to Involve Stakeholders
The MERMAID project had the aim to develop concepts for the next generation of
offshore activities for multi-use of ocean space. The project did not envisage to
actually implement these activities, but it examined new design concepts for combining offshore activities like energy extraction, aquaculture and platform-related
transport at various areas in the ocean. In order to achieve this, the MERMAID
project put the integration of technical, economic, ecological, spatial and social
aspects at the heart of the design of MUPs in two ways: first by analysing and
integrating all these aspects in the design and second by involving stakeholders in
the entire design process. For the latter, a participatory design process was developed
(Rasenberg et al. 2013). The objective of the participatory design process was to
2 Stakeholder Involvement in Technological Design: Lessons Learned from the. . .
29