Brownfield regeneration in Europe: Identifying stakeholder perceptions,concerns, attitudes and information needs

Brownfield areas are a major concern in Europe because they are often extensive, persistent in time and compromise stakeholders’ interests. Moreover, due to their complex nature, from the decision-making point of view, the regeneration of brownfields is a challenging problem requiring the involvement of the whole range of stakeholders. Many studies, projects and organisations have recognised the importance of stakeholder involvement and have promoted public participation. However, comprehensive studies providing an overview of stakeholders’ perceptions, concerns, attitudes and information needs when dealing with brownfield regeneration are still missing.This paper presents and discusses a participatory methodology applied to stakeholders from five European countries to fill this research gap, to develop a system to support the categorisation of the needed information and to support the understanding of which typology of information is the most relevant for specific categories of stakeholders also in relation with their concerns.The engagement process consists of five phases: (i) planning and preparatory work, (ii) identification of stakeholder categories, (iii) engagement activities (e.g. focus groups and workshops), (iv) submission of a questionnaire and (v) provision of feedback to the involved stakeholders.Thanks to this process, appropriate stakeholders have been identified as well as their perceptions, concerns, attitudes and information needs. Stakeholders’ perceptions proved to be different according to the country: German and Italian stakeholders perceive brownfields as complex systems, where several issues need to be addressed, while Romanian stakeholders consider contamination as almost the only issue to be addressed; Czech and Polish stakeholders address an intermediate number of issues. Attitudes and concerns seemed to be quite similar between countries. As far as information needs are concerned, similarities between some groups of stakeholders have been noticed: site owners and problem holders are primarily interested in information on planning and financing, while authorities and services providers are interested in more technical aspects like investigation, planning and risk assessment. Some outstanding outcomes emerged from the scientific community and research group, which showed an interest for remediation strategies and options and socio-economic aspects.The research outcomes allowed to create a knowledge base for the future development of tailored and customised approaches and tools for stakeholders working in the brownfield regeneration field.     

Towards understanding and resolving the conflict related to the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) conservation with participatory management planning

Conflicts often arise in relation to the conservation of protected predator species. If stakeholders are well defined and involved in participatory processes, their views and perceptions can be incorporated and steps can be made towards resolving such conflicts. In this paper, a case from Hungary is presented. In this case, a participatory management planning process was initiated in the Jászság Special Protection Area of European importance (SPA), within the frame of a LIFE+ project focusing on the conservation of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca). It provided a good opportunity to address a complex conflict situation between nature conservationists, game managers and farmers. We identified structural conflicts such as contradictions between direct agricultural payments and nature conservation goals, conflicts related to different views of the main influencing factors, relational problems between various stakeholders, and even differences in value orientation. The participatory management planning process was successful in clarifying the conflict situation and making productive steps toward a common understanding and resolution. Besides the mutually agreed conservation measures, the establishment of an administrative and financial incentive such as the high nature value area (HNVA) scheme proved to be an especially important factor for mitigating the conflict. It also contributed to a more successful realisation of nature conservation objectives in an area dominated by private land owners. However, continued interaction and cooperation are needed to stabilise this progress. Our paper also shows that stakeholder involvement in conservation management planning can transcend the strategic dimension of participation, and address broader common values besides the interests of land user groups.     

河长制下农村河道治理的多元利益主体演化博弈分析

目前我国农村河道污染问题十分严重,厘清多元主体的利益关系是破解河长制下农村河道治理困境的关键所在。在假设博弈主体均为有限理性的条件下,利用演化博弈工具研究了河长制下农村河道治理的问题。界定了农村河道治理过程的农村河长、职能机构、农村居民3个重要主体,并且分析了其策略选择及相互关系;利用演化博弈工具探讨了三方的演化过程,并对其渐进稳定性进行分析,讨论了不同主体的演化稳定策略;针对演化博弈分析结果,同时考虑非设定条件的影响,从规范河长绩效考评标准、完善职能机构奖惩机制、构建河长制信息化平台等多个角度对农村河道治理问题提出建议。     

A communication framework for climatic risk and enhanced green growth in the eastern coast of Ghana

Progresses made in global responses to climate change shows that adaptation is gradually finding its way into development planning, yet delays are generally expected from competing priorities of several sectors, policy and knowledge challenges. To understand these dynamics, a pathway for enhanced climatic risk communication, which is a form of a non-structural adaptation, was analyzed in Ghana’s coastal zones. Two learning platforms, the Community-based Risk Screening Tool for Adaptation and Livelihoods (CRiSTAL), and U-Learning (Theory U-Process) were used to engage the state level policy-making process in governing development within coastal zones in the face of increased climatic risks and climate change impacts. Local livelihood priorities showed that a national level development planning framework that excluded local contexts of climatic risks face possible maladaptation. Subsequently the process that was engaged in the local contextualization of climatic risks and development in selected Districts culminated in the consensus framework, Coastal Zone Green Growth (CZGG), informed mostly by concerns over clean energy usage and ecologically compatible use of coastal resources. Therefore the CZGG potentially provides co-benefits for enhanced ecosystem services, livelihoods and adaptation. Thus, it constitutes a denominator for measuring climatic risks and adaptation to potentially inform the policy-making process towards sustainable coastal zone management practices. Except for the desired goals of CZGG being far reaching and futuristic, they overlapped with goals of the adaptation strategies of the local population, which are similar to development goals. Therefore communicating localized contexts of coastal climatic risks of which sea level rise is seen often as remote to planning, could strengthen risk management in integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and enhance resilience of vulnerable communities. However, this will require the designation of a body which is accustomed to the local issues to facilitate, harmonize and coordinate multi-sector actions and diverse stakeholders’ interests for the CZGG to become a reality in contributing to ICZM in Ghana.     

Uncovering climate (in)justice with an adaptive capacity assessment: A multiple case study in rural coastal North Carolina

Climate change resilience is an area of praxis where efforts to enhance community adaptive capacity are informed by theory. However, there is growing evidence that ethnocentrism and privilege are shaping coastal management policies while many communities with climate justice issues struggle to build resilience. Particularly, rural coastal communities, contrasting urban areas, have limited access to centralized planning efforts, unique local contexts for outreach, compounding social vulnerabilities (job loss, out-migration, limited social services), and receive less attention from resilience researchers. Following calls to integrate climate justice into resilience praxis, we assess perceptions of adaptive capacity within predominately African American communities in a rural low-lying coastal region in eastern North Carolina. We add a climate justice lens to evaluate the previously-validated Rural Coastal Community Resilience (RCCR) framework. The RCCR is intended to improve planning efforts by providing climate change information, initiating conversations, and contributing to resilience theory. In contrast to its previous applications, engagement led to declines in perceived adaptive capacity. This result highlights that the information sharing goals of the engagement efforts were poorly aligned with community concerns and threat perceptions. Additionally, perceived climate injustices emerged revealing instances of adaptation oppression. This study recommends strategies to rethink traditional extension efforts to improve inclusiveness by deeply interrogating the inherent whiteness of standard modes of communicating climate science.     

Management and Risk Characteristics of Part-Time and Full-Time Farmers in Norway

The objective of this exploratory study was to provide empirical insight into how different categories of farmers perceive and manage risk. The data originate from a questionnaire of dairy and crop farmers in Norway. The associations between part-time and full-time farming and farm and farmer characteristics, farmers' goals and future plans, risk perceptions, and risk management responses were examined with simple t - and chi-square tests, as well as with logistic regression. The results indicate that full-time and part-time farmers' goals, risk perceptions, and management strategies differ significantly. Policy makers and advisers should consider these differences when developing policies and recommendations for the different types of farmers.     

Stakeholder engagement in water policy: Lessons from peri-urban irrigation

In highly urbanised Australia many cities and towns demand may have exceeded existing water supply. In peri-urban areas this can lead to conflict over access to supplies with priority often given to urban users. In an effort to resolve potential conflicts, water management planning often seeks to engage ‘community stakeholders’ in an attempt to produce a ‘harmonised’ strategic plan. In this paper we focus on the process of developing one such plan for sustainable water management in a peri-urban area with complex and conflicting stakeholder interests. We subject data from a series of planning meetings and ‘stakeholder’ workshops to a critical review and analysis against the project's stated aims for this stage of the process of: engaging key stakeholders, developing a common vision, and deciding research priorities. We conclude that the approach was unable to achieve these strategic outcomes. In discussion we explore how this analysis reflects barriers in the engagement process, which highlight more general concerns about this widely accepted model for stakeholder engagement in resource issues.     

基于博弈论的褐色土地再利用冲突解析

以褐色土地再利用过程中污染企业、地方政府、开发商和社区居民四类主要利益相关者的"理性"策略选择为依据,运用博弈论经典模型对褐色土地再利用冲突进行解析,剖析各利益相关者之间冲突形成的现实原因,提出解决冲突的对策措施。即建立褐色土地鉴定识别统一标准、制定污染治理责任认定法律法规、形成褐色土地污染信息管理机制、支持褐色土地污染治理技术创新以及创建褐色土地污染治理激励机制。     

Public evaluation of landscape content and change: Several examples from Europe

This paper considers rural land use by analysing stakeholder values and perceptions concerning various landscape components. The purpose is to show that landscape content and land cover interactions with societal connections should be a base for land use development. The practical goal is to deliberate research tools to quantify public opinions and attitudes, which could form bases for developing of decision support tools. The main research objectives are: (1) to assess existing opinions concerning land use changes and provide a clearer insight into public attitudes to the role of woodlands for an integrated development of the countryside; (2) to place ecological and socio-economic values on inanimate natural components of landscapes; and (3) to assess values and preferences held by land use policy and management experts regarding multiple landscape components and features to assist in decision-making. Through the different levels of importance (values) accorded by the respondents to the integration of nature components in rural landscapes public priorities were identified. The paper develops an understanding of why certain aspects of land use changes are unfavourably viewed by some people and favourably received by others. It suggests some innovative perspectives on the areas of consensus and conflict between people, providing initial information for the selection and evaluation of land use management decisions.     

农业水价综合改革的利益相关者分析

通过对我国农业水价改革的历程进行梳理,并基于利益相关者理论,将农业水价综合改革中所涉及的利益主体划分为农业水价影响者、农业水价承担者、农业水价执行者以及农田水利设施管理者四类,并分析四者的权力与利益,从而理清农业水价综合改革相关利益者之间的内在关系。提出农业水价影响者通过改善改革环境可以提高农业水价承担者缴费的配合度,双方的合作有助于实现双方利益的优化。农业水价执行者以及农田水利设施管理者的运营效率对农业水价影响者与农业水价承担者的利益具有重要的调节作用,但二者的运营效率均需要一定的资金支撑。最后就我国农业水价综合改革提出合理建议。     

Approaching reality: Comparing stakeholder analysis and cultural theory in the context of natural resource management

Increased pressure on ecosystems and enhanced competition over the use of natural resources makes it necessary to develop sustainable methods for natural resource management (NRM). However, NRM is a complicated issue. It involves numerous stakeholders, with different needs, resources and perceptions of nature. Stakeholder participation will necessarily be selective, based both on theoretical assumptions about who is a legitimate stakeholder and unevenly distributed power among stakeholders. Although stakeholder involvement is important, sometimes the theory appears to be rather blunt. It has been suggested that, since different categories of stakeholders embody different perceptions of nature, cultural theory could provide important additional criteria for stakeholder involvement. Based on field studies in Naivasha, Kenya, this paper analyses pros and cons of stakeholder analysis and investigates the usefulness of cultural theory for improved stakeholder analysis.     

The evolution of forest producer associations and their current role in REDD+: case studies from Quintana Roo,Mexico

Forest associations (secondary-level institutions that support and represent groups of forest producer communities) play an important and understudied role in promoting community forestry in a multi-level forest governance context in many countries. This role continually evolves to meet new demands from their constituents, with associations diversifying into activities that bring new governance issues, interests, organizational logics and capacity needs. As community forestry in many countries is being integrated into REDD+ national strategies, questions arise regarding new roles for these associations. Through a case study of two forest associations in Quintana Roo, Mexico, this study traces the history and evolution of these associations as they react and adapt to a changing forest sector, uses forest stakeholders’ opinions to assess the associations’ current status and perceived importance of their involvement in the forest sector, and examines how current opinions and historical legacy have shaped their role in REDD+ in Mexico. Results show that association members and outsiders (mostly government stakeholders) hold divergent views of the utility of these organizations. Outsiders’ negative perceptions, as well as the niche that the associations are currently in, is largely determining their limited participation in REDD+ consultation and implementation to date. This is a missed opportunity to engage important allies who still hold high legitimacy in the eyes of the communities that will be the ultimate implementers of REDD+.     

基于“多规合一”的海岸带综合管控研究

研究目的:针对当前海岸带规划管理体系庞杂、矛盾不断、资源利用率低的问题,提出构建基于"多规合一"的海岸带综合规划,剖析其内涵、特征和战略定位,并构建相应的框架、技术路径、协调机制与管控策略。研究方法:文献分析和综合分析法。研究结果:当前海岸带综合规划编制存在规划管理体系庞大、事权不清、空间部署差异大和陆海关联度低等问题。编制基于"多规合一"的海岸带综合规划,建立统筹协调的海岸带管理机制,是解决海岸带规划冲突、提高资源利用率的现实需求,也是实现中国海陆统筹战略的现实需求。研究结论:海岸带综合规划是海岸带规划体系中的顶层设计,处于核心地位,在空间上、规划间以及系统间实现统筹,具备战略性、综合性、统一性、适应性和民主性5大基本特征。提出海岸带综合规划总体框架和"多规合一"的技术路径,认为基于既有行政架构的组织机制协调是当前阶段有效的协调机制。保障规划成果落地的重要管控策略包括:确立海岸带综合规划的实施主体、建立健全的监督、反馈与问责机制以及构筑海岸带"多规合一"依法管理体制。     

Stakeholder perceptions and governance challenges in urban protected area management: The case of the Las Piñas – Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area,Philippines

The conservation and management of protected areas in urban settings has become increasingly challenging with dynamics over land use change in adjacent urban areas being highly relevant to, but at times conflicting with, the protected area. This study seeks to better understand the implications of land use change processes to urban protected area management through the case study of the Las Piñas – Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) in Metro Manila, Philippines. Factors and processes influencing land use change and protected area management and the impact of stakeholders’ perceptions on protected area were analyzed. The urban protected area in itself has limited influence on its surrounding urban areas, as land use change in these areas is shaped more by social, economic and policy/institutional factors occurring within the context of urban-regional development. The study also found that land use conflict is evident in an urban protected area due to the competing ecosystem services derived by various stakeholders. This discord is deepened by the lack of coordination between land use planning and protected area management. Integrating protected area management with land use planning through legally binding instruments, specific timeframes and clear internal procedures can help resolve land use conflict for an urban protected area at the strategic or policy level.     

我国国家公园体制建设中利益相关者关系研究

我国自然保护地将国家公园作为主体,保护具有国家代表性的生态系统和自然景观的原真性和完整性,同时具有全民公益性。从利益相关者视角出发,以国家公园管理部门、旅游投资公司和社区居民为主要利益相关者,分析三者的行为目标与策略选择,通过三方博弈提出解决国家公园体制建设过程中的最优策略,即应改变管理部门与旅游投资企业在国家公园试点中进行不合作博弈的狭隘认知,而应选择国家公园管理部门、旅游投资企业和社区居民三方合作博弈。同时,提出了相应的建议以期进一步保护国家公园自然资源并将可持续利用制度顺利实行。     

Community forests for forest communities: Integrating community-defined goals and practices in the design of forestry initiatives

Community forestry can deliver economic, socio-cultural, and ecological benefits to rural communities, yet criticisms have arisen that community forestry remains dominated by the decision-making of offsite experts and management techniques inappropriate for some communities. We use a case study approach to ascertain the needs, wants, and current realities of selected forest communities in Brazil and Mexico, to inform bottom-up approaches to community interventions. In identifying community-defined goals, we found that other livelihood strategies, particularly agricultural practices, need to be better integrated in the planning of forestry interventions overly focused on timber production. Site-specific intervention models need to take into account the variety of contexts and community interests, rather than replicating models that have been successful in other jurisdictions. A better understanding of local perspectives can aid in the design of community forestry interventions brought by conservation and development agencies, by adding an important and under-studied perspective to the problems that face community forestry.     

What matters most? Stakeholders’ perceptions of river water quality

The need to integrate stakeholders’ views into environmental policy is increasingly gaining attention because this offers the opportunity to design sustainable and synergistic environmental strategies. Understanding and integrating the views of resource users into policy design and implementation could help address the most important challenges, gain community support, enhance project ownership, and avoid policies being rejected by local people. As a result, research in environmental management has focussed on stakeholders’ perceptions of river water quality and how to integrate such views into policy. While existing studies offer insights into the different ways in which stakeholders evaluate river water quality and potential factors influencing judgements, they appear to be limited in a number of ways. First, most of these studies focus on developed countries and may have limited contextual relevance to the developing world. Moreover, past studies focus on segments of society such as farmers and mainly on wastewater for agriculture. These shortcomings may limit our understanding of the topic and our ability to design effective policies to address water quality problems. Drawing on survey data from the Wenchi municipality in Ghana, we examine public perceptions of what constitute important measures of river water quality as well as factors influencing such judgements. Results suggest that while variables such as taste, colour, smell and litter are important, the presence of faecal matter in and/or around the river was rated the most important measure of river water quality while depth of river was the least important. Results further suggest that education, age, number of years a person had lived in a community, depth of river and the presence of aquatic vegetation influence water quality judgements. The findings of this research provide insights into what policymakers and regulators need to consider when attempting to influence behaviours in relation to water resources. We note, however, that while public perceptions of river water quality could guide water management policies, scientific measurements of water quality must not be replaced with stakeholder perceptions. This is because aspects such as ecological integrity may not be important to segments of the public but are an important aspect of water management. This is reinforced in the present study as there seems to be a lack of concern among the participants regarding river depth – an important factor for habitat provision and pollution dilution.     

Developing Policy for Communities Managing Diffuse Source Pollution: A Case Study from Subtropical Catchments of NSW,Australia

Each individual and organisation differs in the way they perceive, define and act upon social, economic and environmental issues. One such issue is pollution of coastal waterways from acid sulphate soils in coastal wetlands in Australia. These soils, when oxidised, acidify water resulting in extensive destruction in the downstream ecosystem. While the impacts of the acidification are extensive and external agencies are demanding change, current policies do not reflect the complexity of the relationships between the stakeholders.

This paper analyses the effectiveness of current policies. How do we define and manage the change process? Drawing on results from two benchmarking surveys conducted in 1998 and 2002, this paper provides insights into why change is happening in three industry groups that are managing diffuse source pollution from acid sulphate soils. Findings indicated that stakeholders frequently did not identify with the government visions and were unaware of the regulations. High compliance with regulations was dependent upon best management practices and education strategies. We discuss how to develop policies to promote the change process with diverse stakeholder groups, and explore why stakeholders resist change. Such findings can have applicability to any organisation involved in the management of diffuse source pollution.     

The reintroduction of the white-tailed sea eagle to Ireland: People and wildlife

Human–wildlife conflict is a rapidly developing topic in biodiversity and conservation management. Restoration ecology and species reintroductions have increased contact between people and wildlife which in turn has led to increased conflict. This paper explores the conflict surrounding the reintroduction of the white-tailed sea eagle to Ireland. It provides a summary of how the diverse stakeholders – conservationists, farmers, tourist lobby and general public – interpret the eagle's homecoming after an absence from the landscape of over a hundred years. Species reintroduction projects tend to be dominated by natural scientists, who emphasise the impartiality of science and often ignore or down play the socio-economic aspects of species reintroductions. The conflict surrounding the reintroduction of the sea eagles to Ireland reinforce the truism that behind all human–wildlife conflict, lies human–human conflict. The paper argues that the human dimension of species reintroductions need to be taken seriously if the project management aims are to be achieved, and that legislation and law enforcement on its own will not solve human–wildlife conflict issues. The conflict between the ‘raptor and the lamb’ described in this paper highlights the need for the early involvement of all key stakeholders, and the importance of establishing effective dialogue and communications among the different parties. It should also be recognised that the reintroduction of a species may not always be the right option to pursue.