Identifying Stakeholders

Who decides how to prepare for sea level rise?

Many people and organizations – from coastal households, to state governments, to multinational corporations – have an interest in preparing for sea level rise. These interested parties are also known as stakeholders: individuals or groups who have anything of value that may be affected by coastal hazards or by the actions taken to manage coastal hazards.

×

Figure 12.3: Stakeholders in coastal mega-cities such as Mumbai are often quite diverse, ranging from the owners of high-rise buildings to low-income children.
Credit: Left: By Arun Viswam (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Right: Plastic Beach CC BY-2.0

There are several reasons why governments and other decision making bodies should include a diverse set of stakeholders in discussions about how to prepare for sea level rise. There is a strong expectation in our society that government should obtain the consent of the governed. Failure to respect this expectation – for example, by purposefully excluding stakeholders from the decision making process – can increase conflict and decrease acceptance of or trust in government decisions. Encouraging broad participation can also lead to better decisions. A diverse set of stakeholders will often bring valuable wisdom beyond that held by scientific specialists, and provide essential information to the decision making process.

Identifying stakeholders

Identifying which types of stakeholders are present in a community and who should be included in sea level rise planning activities can be challenging. One approach is to begin by brainstorming a list of all persons or organizations in a community that may be affected either by sea level rise or by sea level rise policy. These persons or organizations will usually live, work, or have some other significant presence in the community. However, it is sometimes advisable to include persons or organizations from outside the community, such as representatives from state or federal government. For example, if endangered sea turtles are known to nest along a U.S. community's shore, then it may be helpful to include representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a stakeholder in the planning process – particularly if protection strategies under discussion include sea walls or other strategies known to be harmful to the turtles.

×

Figure 12.4: Sea turtles nest in a beach near a resort in Boca Raton, Florida. Sea walls and other hardened structures (such as the deck and railing shown here) can block turtles' access to the dunes where they prefer to nest. If sea levels rise and such structures remain in place, beaches will shrink, leaving little room for the turtles' nests. In turtle nesting areas, this tension between protecting coastal property and preserving habitat for turtles has led to conflicts between stakeholders, and may require including representatives from state and federal environmental agencies in the decision making process.
Credit: Wikipedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boca_Turtle_nests_1.JPGThis file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Activate Your Learning

Florida Stakeholders

This exercise is not for credit but you are required to understand this material for the formal assessments in this module.

Reading

Take a few minutes to read a news article about Florida stakeholders' legal battles over beach erosion, sea wall construction, and sea turtle habitat. Then answer the following questions.

Question 1 - Essay

List at least five examples of stakeholders mentioned in the article.

Click for answer

Hide

Question 2 - Essay

The stakeholders disagree about whether homeowners should be able to build sea walls to protect their property. What do you think: should the homeowners be able to build seawalls? Why or why not?

Click for answer

Hide

• Types of Stakeholders
• Stakeholder Dimensions
• The Importance of Scale
• Learning Check Point
• Participatory Planning