A diagnostic and reflexive approach on values, knowledge and expectations at individual level is a useful baseline to prepare the group interactions and to balance representativeness and synergies in pluralistic settings
Meeting individuals “where they are” and encouraging them to reflect what they would bring (in terms of defended values and knowledge) to a group deliberative setting may enhance their long-term engagement and contribute to building collective capacity for mosaic landscape management;
Similarly, upfront asking participants who will be engaged in knowledge co-creation about their expectations from the process, i.e. expectation management, may increase participation.
In situations of values plurality and participatory decision-making it is more appropriate to adopt an adaptive and reflexive approach that recognises knowledge is intertwined with values and that they are mutually co-creating each other;
To navigate consensus, dissensus and inclusivity in multifunctional landscapes it is useful to plan for a collaborative process that alternates between consensus building and plurality recognition; in other words, reaching consensus should not be done at the expense of excluding certain viewpoints. This needs to be mentioned transparently, as agreement may not be favoured over the expression of value plurality;
An individual-based reflective inquiry of values and knowledge can be a relevant part of planning a multistage collaborative process towards sustainability outcomes.
More reflexive approaches to protected area management may enhance inclusive processes by allowing for different value and knowledge systems to co-exist.
Preferences, priorities, problem identification and tentative solutions – mapping system knowledge, target knowledge and transformative knowledge
Eliciting perspectives and systems understandings from a larger group of people in a systematic way to better understand the key issues that the process is framed around. Key issues are useful entry points to start entangling system dynamics - What are useful entry points in your case and to whom? This phase also asks the question of what is already known about the system by the stakeholders and what are uncertainties according to the stakeholders?
The iterative online survey offers a way to synthesize existing knowledge without actually meeting, online or in person.
The Delphi survey design helps bypass challenges in different actor preferences for how to collaborate, the perceived importance given to different issues and the practical circumstances of their involvement (e.g. professionally or privately). These differences may make it difficult (or impossible) to find a format, time, topic and language that suits everyone.
Complementary activities, like open ended interviews or discussions with a reference group not involved in the survey, can help clarify what information you have and what is missing.
Finding a unifying and specific vision for a complex landscape is hard. Identifying multiple points of common interest and a broad target like ‘liveable countryside’ can serve as a more realistic starting point for moving forward.
Guías para decisores políticos y partes interesadas
Principios compartidos en los procesos de OEM de los 3 archipiélagos
MarSP, 2019
Presentación de la solución durante el desarrollo del proyecto
MarSP
La PEM aporta un enfoque de gobernanza oceánica integrado, novedoso a nivel de la Macaronesia. La decisión política y la participación pública son elementos fundamentales en esta política, que necesita del entendimiento de la PEM tanto a nivel de cada archipiélago como a escala transfronteriza.
Las guías de PEM de la Macaronesia europea pretenden informar y apoyar respectivamente a decisores políticos y partes interesadas en su importante papel en la PEM, incluyendo su participación activa en la preparación y desarrollo de los planes. Ambas guías hacen un repaso sintético de varios elementos importantes en esta materia:
La Macaronesia como región biogeográfica y sus componentes clave;
La PEM como política emergente;
El marco legal de la PEM en España y Portugal;
Los contenidos fundamentales de los planes de cada región;
Desafíos y oportunidades que presenta la Macaronesia.
Las guías también aportan información sobre los beneficios que conlleva participar en el proceso para los actores, así como los principios que orientan la toma de decisiones. Por último, se proporcionan recomendaciones de futuro para la participación y la toma de decisiones en Azores, Madeira y Canarias a partir de lo aprendido durante el proyecto.
Cooperación con el resto de los equipos del consorcio en la elaboración de las guías.
Revisión de contenidos por parte de las autoridades competentes de PEM de cada archipiélago, asegurando la veracidad de las informaciones.
Participación en talleres de PEM con las partes interesadas para presentar las guías y obtener aportaciones de los participantes. Esto creó la base para una buena parte de las recomendaciones incluidas en las guías.
Los proyectos sobre temáticas novedosas necesitan de documentos de carácter divulgativo. En éstos se requiere un esfuerzo sintético para poder alcanzar y ayudar a su público objetivo. Generalmente los decisores políticos y agentes socioeconómicos no disponen de tiempo o interés para leer informes extensos.
La ilustración y diseño de este tipo de guías son clave para hacerlas atractivas e invitar a su lectura.
Las guías deben ser traducidas a la lengua maternan de cada país, en este caso español y portugués, para alcanzar el mayor público posible.
Los proyectos piloto deben mostrar cierta flexibilidad a la hora de abordar sus entregables para poder adaptarlos a las necesidades reales y cambiantes a lo largo del tiempo.
Public awareness and trained community groups in old town on plastic waste substitution, recycling, reduction, recovery, and safe disposal practices.
Equipping the women artisans with machinery, tools, and equipment for making sculptures and items out of plastic waste as well as training women artisans on product development and packaging was very well informed.
Empowerment is just a means to an end in ensuring that plastic waste management is mainstreamed.
Establishing enterprises: This factor has been critical in sneering sustainability is enhanced all through, including linking the community groups with financial institutions to enhance their financial management skills.
Established a model centre at the Madubaa landing site for demonstrating best practices for zero-waste, 3Rs (reducing, recycling and re-using), showcasing viable plastic waste products and enterprises, troubleshooting, and continuous learning.
Provide incentives to catalyse waste segregation at source as well as compliment it advocacy awareness to ensure county governments step their roles and function of proper waste management enforcement.
Develop programs that enhance paradigm shift to promote circularity among stakeholders in a consultative manner. i.e. walk with them through the journey, co-creation sessions.
CEJAD realized the value of engagement is very critical in getting various stakeholders with different needs to realign consequently unlocking resources as well as forge alliances for meaningful participatory development.
Forums were held in the community to ensure that public participation is at the heart of the marine plastic waste as well as getting community groups to own the problem and take charge.
Alliance: Establishing alliances has contributed to ensure the perpetuity of the plastics value chain as well as the development of marketing platforms for plastic waste products.
Stakeholder engagement: Establishing platforms and fora is very critical in getting various stakeholders with different needs to realign and get buy-in from partners consequently unlocking resources as well as forge alliances for meaningful participatory development. Forums were held in the community to ensure that public participation is at the heart of development.
Proper documentation must be followed through with action points that are all rounded as well as approved by all to enhance accountability.
Amplify and provide visibility for impactful members so as they can be champions and ambassadors for plastic waste management.
Link the training to sources funding for the sustainability of the ventures for desired outcomes as well as continuous mentorships and coaching sessions including table banking.
Cooperation must be at the heart of the engagement to facilitate waste management initiatives.
Partnerships are critical for scaling and innovative idea like boom and traps as well as getting the buying from the government as well as unlocking funding for scaling.
Openness and strategic communication.
Meaningful strategic engagement.
Partnerships must evolve with time.
Be flexible and accommodate diverse opinions.
Sharing success and failures is part of the collaboration.
To prevent mismanagement of plastics waste from reaching beaches and the marine environment, the investment of litter booms, traps, and other technological solutions is and still a priority.
The litter booms and traps work efficiently when staff have been trained on the installation as well as maintenance including working with communities to manage waste at source to prevent river pollution.
Infrastructure maintenance is at the core of development.
Training and capacity building should be continuous.
Community engagement must be at the core of management.
