administrations. In addition, it is already obvious that uncoordinated adaptation
strategies by different land users will lead to new and severe conflicts, especially
concerning water resources. Therefore in times of climate change the active
involvement of stakeholders in the setup and implementation of management and
conservation policies is essential for their success (Forshay et al. 2005; Harris
et al. 2006; Maltby 1991; Walker et al. 2002). Sustainable land use requires an
integrated approach involving conservation goals, economic growth, social welfare
and climate change adaptation. Both nature and society will benefit from highly
resilient biodiversity protection structures. Planned adaptation measures will affect
land use practices, and their implementation will only be possible with the support
of local stakeholders. However, adaptation to climate change is not only a challenge; it offers a chance to reshape the future of land use and conservation strategies
for the benefit of all.
The main objectives of stakeholder involvement for climate-adapted conservation management are:
• to identify the range of stakeholders and land users (and those who are assessed
as being especially affected by climate change),
• to enhance knowledge on climate change and land use-related problems,
• to include local knowledge on climate-related changes and their impacts,
• to identify and anticipate conflicts between planned and autonomous adaptation.
Effective stakeholder involvement should be based on a stakeholder analysis.
This includes three steps:
• Identification and classification of target groups including characteristics of
target groups and their interrelationships,
• Analyses of expectations of target groups and scope of involvement,
• Development of a participation concept for stakeholder involvement.
The stakeholder involvement must be context specific, because target groups have
different levels of knowledge, different social dynamics and different forms of
communication. Consequently, there will be no general recipe for organising stakeholder dialogue that can be beneficially applied to all places or participants.
The target groups for the stakeholder involvement should be identified to enable
specific communication concepts to be tailored. Following Reed et al. (2009)
stakeholders can be classified into four groups based on their importance for and
influence on the decision at hand. Key players are essential to make decisions and
guarantee their implementation. Context setters (e.g. local authorities, ministries,
business/trade unions) are stakeholders with much power but little interest in the
problem. Subjects are those who are very interested in participating, but have little
effect on the implementation (e.g. scientists, recreational users). Finally, the
“Crowd” is defined as those stakeholders that have neither influence nor interest.
There are different forms of stakeholder involvement. This can range from
passive forms of involvement like information or consultation, to active participation like collaboration, cooperation or delegation in the decision-making process
(Muro et al. 2006). In the adaptation process, all stakeholders should be included in
20 Conclusions and Recommendations for Adapting Conservation Management. . .
297
strategies by different land users will lead to new and severe conflicts, especially
concerning water resources. Therefore in times of climate change the active
involvement of stakeholders in the setup and implementation of management and
conservation policies is essential for their success (Forshay et al. 2005; Harris
et al. 2006; Maltby 1991; Walker et al. 2002). Sustainable land use requires an
integrated approach involving conservation goals, economic growth, social welfare
and climate change adaptation. Both nature and society will benefit from highly
resilient biodiversity protection structures. Planned adaptation measures will affect
land use practices, and their implementation will only be possible with the support
of local stakeholders. However, adaptation to climate change is not only a challenge; it offers a chance to reshape the future of land use and conservation strategies
for the benefit of all.
The main objectives of stakeholder involvement for climate-adapted conservation management are:
• to identify the range of stakeholders and land users (and those who are assessed
as being especially affected by climate change),
• to enhance knowledge on climate change and land use-related problems,
• to include local knowledge on climate-related changes and their impacts,
• to identify and anticipate conflicts between planned and autonomous adaptation.
Effective stakeholder involvement should be based on a stakeholder analysis.
This includes three steps:
• Identification and classification of target groups including characteristics of
target groups and their interrelationships,
• Analyses of expectations of target groups and scope of involvement,
• Development of a participation concept for stakeholder involvement.
The stakeholder involvement must be context specific, because target groups have
different levels of knowledge, different social dynamics and different forms of
communication. Consequently, there will be no general recipe for organising stakeholder dialogue that can be beneficially applied to all places or participants.
The target groups for the stakeholder involvement should be identified to enable
specific communication concepts to be tailored. Following Reed et al. (2009)
stakeholders can be classified into four groups based on their importance for and
influence on the decision at hand. Key players are essential to make decisions and
guarantee their implementation. Context setters (e.g. local authorities, ministries,
business/trade unions) are stakeholders with much power but little interest in the
problem. Subjects are those who are very interested in participating, but have little
effect on the implementation (e.g. scientists, recreational users). Finally, the
“Crowd” is defined as those stakeholders that have neither influence nor interest.
There are different forms of stakeholder involvement. This can range from
passive forms of involvement like information or consultation, to active participation like collaboration, cooperation or delegation in the decision-making process
(Muro et al. 2006). In the adaptation process, all stakeholders should be included in
20 Conclusions and Recommendations for Adapting Conservation Management. . .
297