Скачать или смотреть Participant experiences in the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Programs Engagement Advisory Group

The social benefits of stakeholder engagement: participant experiences in the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Programs Engagement Advisory Group

Piggott-McKellar A, Vella K, Eberhard R, Baresi U, Pearson J

Engaging with stakeholders and community members in large-scale ecosystem management is widely understood to be important to ensure robust and viable decisions, and ensure that decision-making processes meet standards of fairness and justice. But how do participants involved in engagement process experience and benefit from opportunities to engage, if at all? To unpack this question, this research draws on the experiences of members from the Engagement Advisory group in the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP). Drawing on in-depth interviews, alongside experiences and reflections on the Advisory groups activities, we unpack the diverse experiences of members with a view to understand the social benefits they have experienced. Early insights indicate that participants have: benefited from enhanced social networks and relationships; built individual levels of confidence: and gained new knowledge and skills. Key factors that have shaped these experiences include: diversity of members’ backgrounds, knowledge bases and life experiences, and participation in collaborative processes; opportunities for face-to-face interactions within and outside of meetings; and a common and shared purpose. Outcomes of this research will provide important insights on the ways stakeholder and community engagement can be tailored to not only benefit programmatic goals, but have broader benefits for participants.

Jasmine Pearson
Queensland University of Technology
[email protected]

Reef Resilience Symposium 2024
Urchins Room
Managing risks, obtaining social license, and driving policy change session
11:45 AM Thursday, 18 April 2025