NeWater Train-the-Trainer Workshop (session 2) 12/13 September 2007, TIIM, Tashkent

Seecon Training Course Tashkent 12/13 September 2007

How to develop jointly solutions –

participation in water management and the role of building commitment

NeWater Train-the-Trainer Workshop (session 2)

12/13 September 2007, TIIM, Tashkent

Sophie Rotter, Karina Rasche, Matt Hare

Seecon Germany


Participatory processes in adaptive management

• Involvement of stakeholders – integrate knowledge/requirements from different sectors– exchange of information– build commitment– to be ensured: balanced representation and access to information

• Decision making process needs to be– open to new information from diverse sources– allows for changes in rules and structures– exchange information and work across spatial scales (local,

regional, national)


Overview

• What is participatory water management?• Methods and phases of a participatory process• Exercise: Designing a participatory process for an

(artificial) case study example


What is participatory (water) management?

• Participatory water Management: – Including relevant stakeholders who would usually not be

involved in water management

• Stakeholders: – those who are directly or indirectly affecting or being affected

by a management decision (Glicken 2000)


Types of Stakeholders

• Public

– general public who tend to be unorganised and who are normally non-experts (in a technical sense)

• Organised stakeholders

– organisations and their representatives, normally have a high degree of interest and expertise e.g. gov. department, NGOs

– also: scientists, individuals of particular power e.g. local land owners

• Competent authority

– organisation who is legally responsible for planning and implementation e.g. regional authority


Levels of Participation

(Evolving from Arnstein 1969, Mostert 2003, Drafting Group 2002)

• Information provision: stakeholders are informed about management plans

• Consultation: stakeholders are asked their opinion; provide data/knowledge

• Active involvement: stakeholders take an active part and share responsibility in the development of possible plans, implementation and/or maintenance


Consultation: Say if all is still well

Active Involvment: Helping to judge

after GWP – Technical Report No10

Consultation: Say if all is well and maintainedActive Involvment: Helping to set up and maintain things

Establish Status

Analyse Gaps

Prepare Action Plan

Implement Actions

Monitor andEvaluate Process

Build Commitment to Process

Build Commitmentto actions

Consultation: Provideing DataActive Involvement: Collect Data

What levels of participation mean at different stages of the management process


Why is participatory management increasingly being promoted?

• Benefits occur – planning phase– implementation phase – maintenance phase– society and future projects


Benefits of participation

• …for planning• additional sources of local knowledge and opinion • development of new planning options and win-win plans • Find out major concerns related to plans/options at the

beginning of the planning process to avoid conflicts

• ... for implementation• increased support for plans • planning permission is more easily to be granted• financial and practical support to do work


Benefits of participation

• ... for maintenance of the created infrastructure• less vandalism (sense of ownership)• increased use of site • support in maintenance

• ... for society and future projects• public awareness of the importance of water management• getting to know the views of a broader range of people and

organisations• building up networks and trust


Risks of participation – traps to avoid

• Resource black holes: can be resource intensive -> contingency plan for personnel and other resources to manage demands and results of participation

• Not fulfilled expectations: might lead to anger -> make sure you can meet the expectations you create.

• Process hijacking: stakeholders have their own agenda -> analysis carefully their motiviation to be involved.

• Information overload: difficult to store, assess and respond to information -> set up an information management system.


Risks of participation – traps to avoid

• Waking sleeping dogs: can bring up conflicts -> be prepared for conflict resolution.

• Loss of control: through a combination of above factors.

• These risks can be avoided by being aware of them and anticipating them.

• Furthermore these problems will not happen if you can build commitment to the process.


How to build commitment?

• Allow for participation in the whole planning process• Elicit requirements in early phases of the project (needs)• Show that the project is carried out in order to satisfy their needs• Inform about the problem at stake, any possible solutions, and

the existing constraints• Collect perceptions, ideas and concerns • Show that their input is taken seriously and how it is processed• Let them evaluate the outcome as well as the process of

involvement.


Exercise

How could participation support your work?

How might participation hinder your work?


Is participation only workshops?


Diversity of participatory methods

• Public information provision: Newspapers, flyers, websites, etc.

• Education: seminars, school project work, etc.

• Interviews / knowledge elicitation: structure

interviews, cards sorting, cognitive mapping

• Surveys: questionnaires, focus groups etc.

• Forums: Internet forums, newsletter forums


Diversity of participatory methods

• Meetings: Large group response exercise, open space meetings

• Workshops: Group model building, scenario analysis

workshops, citizens juries etc.

• Events: Open days, exhibitions, field trips etc.

• Popular involvement campaigns: Participatory

monitoring, planting activity, sponsorship etc.

after Hare + Krywkow, 2005


Choice of appropriate participatory methods

• These methods support the involvement of– different stages within the adaptive management cycle– different types and numbers of stakeholders– different levels of participation

• They all require different levels of resources and skills• Their choice depend on the benefits / goals you want

to achieve


Methods to support different stages of adaptive management cycle

Establish Status

Group model building

Monitoring / Evaluation

Participatory monitoring

Garden surveys

How many birds can you seein your garden?? Let us know!


Methods to involve different types and numbers of stakeholders

Consulting large public groups

Large group response exercise

Consulting individual experts (organised groups)

Cognitive mapping


Methods to support different levels of participation

Information provision

Newsletters

Active involvement

Participatory modelling

What`s on in your water basin!


Phases of a participatory process

• Methods do not stand alone – are embedded in a coherent process

• The participatory process falls into three phases- Preparation phase- Planning phase- Implementation and evaluation phase


Preparation phase

1. Set up a steering group that will plan the process and support it over the long term. Organise internal communication.

2. Determine goals, frame and limitations of the participatory process

3. Organise tasks and resources for the process

4. Stakeholder analysis: Who are the relevant stakeholders to be involved?

5. Design the participatory process: choose methods, participants, timing

adapted from Krywkow and Hare 2006


Planning phase

1. Provide general background information and invite participants to the process

2. Collect knowledge, views (e.g. concerns and requirements) and ideas

3. Design planning options (participatory or by experts)

4. Discuss/assess planning options (participatory or by experts)


Implementation and evaluation phase

1. Decide (experts)

2. Inform about and explain decision, make stakeholder input transparent

3. Formal planning permission procedure

4. Implementation of measures, Construction works

5. Opening ceremony

6. Use and maintenance

7. Evaluate the process – what can you learn for future processes?



Consultation: Say if all is well and maintainedand maintain things

Establish Status

Analyse Gaps

Prepare Action Plan

Implement Actions





... Find out about the challenge of designing a participatory process in the exercise!


Exercise

• Artificial case study example: What would be the important first steps to set up a participatory process and which participatory methods would be appropriate to be applied?

• Small group work (4 groups with 2 art. case studies)


Artificial Case Study: Canal Restoration Example

• Project: restoration of a canal system in a region in order to avoid water losses.

• Participatory goal: increased efficiency of water use • Management stages: open• Desired level of participation: active• Time available: 3-5 years• Person months: high • Other factors: ...


Artifical Case Study: Planning of Water Usage

• Project: the water sector in the country is organised to facilitate agricultural production. However the water demand of the domestic sector and fishery are supposed to grow about 100% by 2010.

• Participatory goal: a win-win solution for the different sectors to satisfy the water demand of each sector.

• Management stages: open• Desired level of participation: open• Time available: 2-3 years• Person months: high• Other factors: ...


Task

1. Read the case study description2. Decide which steps of of AM cycle require participatory

management support for the case study3. for each step

– define desired benefits of participation– identify relevant stakeholders (listing type and number)– define required level of participation– select potential part. methods and derived outputs therefrom

4. present role of participation in adaptive management cycle for the case study


How to build commitment in the adaptive management cycle


Find tasks where stakeholdersit to them

Establish Status

Analyse Gaps

Prepare Action Plan

Implement Actions




Decide which steps in the cycle?

- desired benefits- relevant stakehoders (type and number)- level of participation- participatory methods


Matching classes to levels

Taken from Hare & Krywkow, 2004)


Presentations and feedback

• Presentation by one or two group members• Opportunity for other group members to add• Questions from the other group• Discussion of experiences with the exercise


Lessons learnt

• Allowing stakeholders to participate in the planning or implementation of a project is a way to build commitment. This may save money and effort in the long run.

• There are many different methods how to do participation. • Setting up a participatory process is a complex tasks which

relies on a thorough analysis of the relevant stakeholders as well as an agreement (internally and with the stakeholders) on the goals and limits of the process

• What were your most important learning effects of this session?


Social Learning

• Social Learning is asked for by the EU under the Water Framework Directive

• some methods can create an environment for Social Learning e.g. workshops, surveys, public meetings


Social Learning

• Stakeholders and planners are brought together to– improve knowledge of management system– improve mutual understanding– develop new institutions for management – see www.harmonicop.info

Documents

NeWater Train-the-Trainer Workshop (session 2) 12/13 September 2007, TIIM, Tashkent