Moving from communications to co-production – what works when working with mixed stakeholder groups?
Jonathan Porter, Countryscape - Valuing Nature Programme Coordination Team
This session allowed participants to share experience and learn about how to work with mixed stakeholder groups when carrying out valuing nature research. Participants were encouraged to:
- Think afresh about how they work with stakeholders to co-produce outputs that are useful.
- Circulate around a stakeholder map to discuss different approaches to working with national government, local government, NGOs, landowners, business, community groups, and the general public.
- Identify how and when to work with each stakeholder group as well as potential challenges and pitfalls.
Summary Points
Be positive! Use positive communication to engage people with nature, and show practical demonstrations of success.
Work with trusted intermediaries and identify gatekeepers who can open doors to different groups and help with using the right language.
Valuing Nature research needs to look more at the difference between urban and rural contexts; and how more deprived communities can benefit from ideas and methods developed in wealthy private estates.