Best practice in stakeholder participation for environmental management from the Sustainable Uplands and Involved projects. Presented to Scottish Government Advisors, 15th March 2011

1. Enabling citizen choices about land use and the natural environment Experience from the Sustainable Uplands and Involved projects

2. Plan Introduction What can published literature tell us? New research on citizen engagement in land use and environmental decisions Case Study: Lessons from the Sustainable Uplands project

3. 1. Introduction

4. Participation: frustrating... ... yet alluring

5. How can you design participatory processes that can effectively engage stakeholders in policy decisions? How can we harness participation to achieve social and environmental benefits, but avoid the pitfalls?

6. 2. What can published literature tell us?

7. 1. Start talking to people as soon as you can From concept to completion Early involvement leads to higher quality and more durable decisions Avoid raising false expectations: make sure there’s something to negotiate

10. Identify goals with stakeholders

11. Be prepared to negotiate and compromise

12. Partnerships, ownership and active engagement in the process is more likely3. Make sure you know what people want to talk about

14. Manage power4. Be flexible: base level of participation & methods on your context & objectives

16. Don’t underestimate the power of investing in a good facilitator to bring people together and deliver high quality outcomes5. Get a facilitator

19. The projects Ecopag: quantitative analysis of 2-300 case studies Involved: in-depth interviews with those who led and participated in environmental management projects/programmes 5 projects/programmes in Spain & 5 in Portugal Along continuum from less-more participatory Studying a replicated participatory process in these plus 10 other countries Role of process versus context?

20. Emerging lessons Low levels of participation may lead to simple solutions: easily implemented and accepted but ineffective High levels of participation may lead to deeper understanding, learning and more complex solutions: more effective but harder to apply Policy makers with actual decision-making power, need to be included in the process for short-termimpact In some cases, their presence created a power imbalance that limited active participation & generation of new ideas But if decision-makers not part of process, immediate implementation of findings is less likely

21. Emerging lessons If land managers are well represented, outcomes are generally economically and practically feasible, and there are more social benefits (social learning, better functioning social networks, increased trust) Involvement of this group increases likelihood that process outcomes are implemented in longer term To get participation of land managers, the process needs to be brought to their local context and communication tailored appropriately

22. 4. Case Study: Sustainable Uplands

23. Working with people in uplands to better anticipate and respond to future change 7 years (ending 2012) Sites: Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Galloway £1.1M from RELU and ESRC 29 researchers: Universities of Aberdeen, Leeds, St Andrews, Durham, Sheffield & others with Moors for the Future & Heather Trust

26. Key messages A shared philosophy: Different expertise, but compatible ways of viewing/constructing knowledge & compatible values/beliefs Working in partnership: learning from and with stakeholders as equals to make a difference

27. Please take one DVDs Cards for www.ouruplands.co.uk RELU Policy & Practice Notes Follow up? Possible sessions on: Stakeholder analysis Other participatory methods Facilitation (see handout)

28. www.see.leeds.ac.uk/sustainableuplands www.ouruplands.co.uk Follow us on: www.twitter.com/reluuplands Email: sustainableuplands@see.leeds.ac.uk

29. Contact www.see.leeds.ac.uk/sustainableuplands Follow us on: www.twitter.com/reluuplands Email: sustainableuplands@see.leeds.ac.uk Call or text on: 0797 428 6778