Webinar – Stakeholder engagement in conservation. Creating meaningful engagement for better conservation outcomes.

Date: 7th of May

Time: 11:00 – 12:30 CEST

Register for free here!

At the heart of effective conservation lie the principles of inclusivity and collaboration. Starting from our shared commitment to preserving and nurturing precious natural landscapes, this webinar offers inspiration for Protected Areas and Parks, conservation planning authorities, NGOs, and all individuals dedicated to safeguarding our planet’s biodiversity to engage with other people.

By actively involving stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, we unlock a wealth of knowledge, creativity and passion that is essential to implement sustainable solutions. Participatory approaches not only foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among local communities, but also harness the collective wisdom needed to address complex conservation challenges. How can we start a constructive dialogue and create participatory engagement opportunities in order to reach better conservation outcomes?

This webinar offers practical strategies and insights from experts for implementation on the ground. Each speaker brings a unique perspective that will inspire and inform practitioners about a more inclusive and participatory conservation paradigm. It is designed for anyone passionate about conservation and eager to explore new avenues for collaboration and engagement.

Get to know our case studies:

Stakeholder engagement in value-abled landscapes – working with a variety of nature values in practice

By Kristian Bjørnstad of Norske Parker

Creating connections among people and nature is highly rewarding when it works. However, it’s most often challenging. In multi-functional landscapes, there are a number of competing interests and values at the same time. So, how do we consolidate these in practical processes? Based on experiences from establishing regional parks in Norway, Kristian will share some lessons learnt from bottom-up processes.

Stakeholder engagement in connectivity conservation

By Hildegard Meyer of WWF Central and Eastern Europe

With the experience of the many connectivity projects implemented in the Danube-Carpathian region, where engaging stakeholders has been an important part, Hildegard will talk about approaches at the local, cross-border and transnational levels and lessons learnt. You will hear about challenges and how they were addressed from the perspective of an NGO.

Stakeholder engagement, participation and mediative work – Insights from two case studies in Austria

By Eva-Maria Cattoen of LechtAlps

Participation and mediation promote engagement and help to avoid or reduce conflict escalation and social polarization. Eva-Maria demonstrates through two case studies from Austria, how external support can help overcome challenges and build trust and cooperation amongst different stakeholder groups – even in situations of conflict. The first case study is an example from a human-wildlife coexistence project to establish cooperation for strengthening the lynx population in the Eastern Austrian Alps. The second case study gives insights in a project where motivation and trust between stakeholder groups had to be re-established, in order to come back to the negotiation table for collaborating on new solutions regarding mountain biking in the surroundings of Innsbruck, Tyrol.

Get to know our speakers:

Kristian Bjørnstad

Kristian is the CEO of Norske Parker and chair of EUROPARC’s Nature Regional Landscape Parks Taskforce. He is a social scientist with a specialization in the relationship between nature and people. In addition, he is an educator and certified course instructor in nature and cultural guidance. Kristian has been central to the development of regional parks in Norway and the establishment of Norwegian Parks.

Hildegard Meyer

Hildegard Meyer, a project developer and manager, has been with WWF Central and Eastern Europe for almost 20 years. Ecologist by profession, she enthusiastically engages in projects around ecological connectivity in the Danube-Carpathian Region. She loves to work with people from different sectors with different views and ideas.

Eva-Maria Cattoen

Eva-Maria Cattoen is ecologist and mediator, specialised in process support, participatory processes and conflict management in the environmental and regional development sector. In 2017, she founded the consulting office Cattoen – LechtAlps based in the Nature Park region Tiroler Lech (Austria).