The importance of stakeholder dialogues in climate change adaptation Prof. Dr. Martin Welp University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde Photo: Hannah Förster POLDOC-WORKSHOP, Gdansk, 26 October 2006

Prof. Dr. Martin Welp Socioeconomics & Communication New International Masters Programme: Global Change Management URL:

Outline 1.Coastal management and climate change 2.Management, policy and scientific stakeholder dialogues 3.Analytical and communication tools 4.Conclusions

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Europe‘s coasts High diversity of coastal areas (from urban centres to coastal wetlands with protected areas for birds) Many of Europe's coastal zones face problems of deterioration of their environmental, socioeconomic and cultural resources

Key coastal concerns Quality of coastal waters Nature conservation Construction activities on the coast Coastal erosion Tourism development Climate change

Emerging issue: climate change Rising sea levels Storm surges Winterstorms Coastal flooding Air humudity Photos: National Trust, UK, Sten Suuroja

Four coastal management styles Participatory approach Excluding approach Integrated approach Sectoral approach Routine management Sector-based participatory management Social engineering Management as mutual learning Welp 2000

Stakeholder dialogues Planning for adaptation as a process of mutual learning Stakeholders include planners, decision- makers, politicians, scientists, and the interested public Finding ways to adapt to climate change Raising awareness of climate change and coastal issues

Three types of dialogues Type of dialogueObjectivesInitiator / principal coordinator Management dialogues - participation, building consensus, conflict resolution Municipalities, planning agencies Policy dialogues- creating support for policies, building alliances, passing laws and regulations Policy-makers, government agencies Science-based dialogues - combining knowledge bases, increasing social relevance Researchers, scientific institutions, networks

Management dialogues Coastal zone management on local and regional level Carried out by municipalities, sectoral agencies, etc. Stakeholders include land owners, businesses, local interest groups etc.

From , Information about factors that encourage or discourage ICZM Stimulating a broad debate and exchange of information among the various actors involved in the planning, management or use of European coastal zones Stakeholder consultations (seminars, written responses) EU Demonstration Programme on

Evaluation Evaluation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in Europe The results of this evaluation shall assist the European Commission

Science-based dialogues A science-based stakeholder dialogue is a structured communicative process of linking scientists with selected actors who are relevant for the research problem at hand. These actors may be representatives of companies, NGOs, local and regional planners, government agencies, etc.

Objectives of science-based dialogues Bringing together different knowledge bases Identifying socially relevant research questions Identifying key data and parameters ‘Reality check’ - confronting mental models with reality - confronting computer models with reality Preferences, expectations and decision- making rules

Participatory methods Dialogues Exchanging information Informing Focus Groups Group model building Joint planning groups Scenario planning Surveys, Questionnaires Interviews Telefon hotlines Field trips Newsletters, Direct mail Public hearings Articles, Radio & TV

Tools for Dialogues Communication toolsAnalytical tools

Communication tools Creating settings in which stakeholders with different backgrounds can team up and learn Examples: Focus Groups (ULYSSES), Games and role plays (ECF family of Climate Games), Visualisation

Analytical tools Structuring the problem Identifying areas of agreement and disagreement among stakeholders Examples: Group model building, Bayesian belief networks, Multi-criteria Analysis

Challenges Limited resources (stakeholder dialogues need to be effective) Stereotyping Trust building takes time Language barriers Different working cultures Difficulties in systems thinking

Conclusions We need to create safe places where the exchange of arguments is possible A combination of communication and analytical tools is needed We need to link scientific, policy and management dialogues Mainstreaming

Forthcoming book Stoll-Kleemann, S. & Welp, M. (eds.) Stakeholder Dialogues in Natural Resources Management. Springer Environmental Sciences (November 15, 2006)

Learning for adaptation: Dutch cow ready for sea level rise…

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