Increasing information flow and stakeholder engagement in Marine Protected Areas

Abstract

Enhancing stakeholder engagement in order to holistically inform decisions and increase the efficiency of conservation management is essential. Stakeholder engagement may (i) promote cooperation and the exploration of possible solutions; (ii) facilitate mitigation of conflicts due to various interests; (iii) enhance coordination and enforcement of common rules in a more transparent way. Stakeholder participation has been characterized as a long and difficult process that requires an in depth knowledge of the social-ecological systems’ complexity, focusing on the factors that influence stakeholder engagement and the level of participation that is desired. In addition, integration of information and communication strategies that allow interaction and knowledge sharing between users should be considered as the means to achieve successful engagement. Stakeholder Analysis (SA) and Social Network Analysis (SNA) are complementary methodologies that provide compacted information and guidance for fostering communication, trust and collective learning in natural resource management. We have applied these methodologies in Portofino MPA to identify central stakeholders with the capacity to act as communication hubs in the social network, and explore the presence of a core-periphery network structure, which may boost information flow and increase social learning. Our findings offer insights regarding the role of social networks’ structure in MPA management and highlight the importance of strengthening relationships between actors through web technology tools, which may augment plurality and new ideas into the engagement process. The present study provides guidance for increasing stakeholder engagement towards adaptive collaborative management of resources and effective governance performance.