At PREP4BLUE, we strive to foster innovative approaches and collaborative solutions for blue growth and sustainable marine environments. Namely, the PREP4BLUE project aim to develop R&D&I modalities of co-creation and co-implementation to inspire and engage citizens and stakeholders effectively.
To support this goal, CETMAR coordinated a series of six training webinars on “stakeholder engagement” to enhance the capacity of participants and support the Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters in mobilizing stakeholders. These webinars were specifically designed to address some of the critical needs identified by the project, such as advancing stakeholder engagement maturity levels and fostering co-creation among diverse actors.
Stakeholder discussions and recommendations address a central question: How can Stakeholder engagement improve the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters implementation?
To this end, within PREP4BLUE an adaptation of the Arnstein’ ladder [1] was done, following the Portfolio Analysis EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” [2]. As indicated in figure below, sensibilization actions imply a lower level of maturation in engagement, stakeholder engagement is needed for co-creation and co-implementation of actions, and when there is an urgency for solutions collaboration with local and regional authorities is recommended.
By sharing real-world examples, the webinars provided practical insights and actionable strategies to help future projects foster collaboration and innovation.
Since the Mission identified four Lighthouses areas: Atlantic and Artic, Danube, Baltic and North Sea and Mediterranean Sea, addressing a specific topic in each of them, an effort was made to choose one example from each Lighthouse area. The webinars’ topics have all a common nexus – stakeholder engagement – but applied to diverse needs, which are focused not only at coastal and ocean measures but also including freshwater management examples. As you can see in the graph below, two of the sessions targeted freshwater applications, one was about the Marine Biodiversity value, one about Blue Economy, one about Marine Protected Areas and another about stakeholder strategies applicable throughout two different Missions.
The recordings of the webinars are available on the PREP4BLUE website to inspire and support future projects enhancing their engagement practices and addressing similar challenges.
[1] S. R. Arnstein, ‘A Ladder Of Citizen Participation’, J. Am. Inst. Plann., vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 216–224, Jul. 1969, doi: 10.1080/01944366908977225.
[2] European Commission. Directorate General for Research and Innovation., Portfolio analysis, EU mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”: analysis of a portfolio of projects financed by sixteen EU programmes contributing to the objectives and enablers of the mission ocean and waters. LU: Publications Office, 2023. Available: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/683
