Stakeholder participation in European BRs
In 2021, Marie Curtet investigated the evolution of stakeholder participation in European UNECO Biosphere Reserves, and what challenges and opportunities rose from the COVID pandemic and the digital shift as part of her MSc thesis. Curtet was supervised by UNESCO Chair Inger Måren and Alícia Barraclough, and her findings was recently published in The Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning .
Hovedinnhold
Background
Participation is an important aspect of the governance and management of UNESCO BRs, and there are several UNESCO guidelines for stakeholder participation in BRs. Digital technologies are used increasingly in society in general society, and in conservation work. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) became especially important during the COVID pandemic.
Stakeholder participation in European Biosphere Reserves (BRs) has been well studied over the years, but the impact and shifts in the use of ITCs during and after the pandemic is still understudied.
Curtet’s study investigates the evolution of how European BRs are implementing stakeholder participation, how participation was affected by the COVID pandemic, and how this can help us learn more about the use of ICTs for spread of information and dialogue with stakeholders.
Findings and conclusions
The results from the study indicate that stakeholder participation in BRs has become more important over time (figure 1), with both an increase in the number and diversity of stakeholders involved at higher levels of participation.
The participation increase was augmented by the use of ICTs during the pandemic. The increased use of ICTs had its challenges, though, such as the exclusion of certain types of stakeholders from the participatory process. For instance, older adults are often excluded in virtual settings. The authors suggest that a possible solution to these challenges can be to create hybrid meeting arenas, and encourage more studies of the hybrid method and its influence on the diversity of stakeholders participating in BR activities.
Full paper:
Curtet, M., Barraclough, A. D., Måren, I. E. (2024). The evolution of stakeholder participation in European UNESCO Biosphere Reserves: challenges and opportunities of the COVID pandemic and the digital shift. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 26(4), 374-387. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2024.2381563
