Kristian Bjørnstadt, Director at Norske Parker, Norway
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
Hildegard Meyer, Project Manager at 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
Eva-Maria Cattoen, LechtAlps, Austria
Participation and mediation promote engagement and help to avoid or reduce conflict escalation and social polarization. Eva-Maria demonstrates through two case studes 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 the 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.
