Methods for Developing Multiscale Participatory Scenarios: Insights from Southern Africa and Europe
Scenario planning is increasingly recognized as a useful tool for exploring change in social-ecological systems on decadal to centennial time horizons. In environmental decision making, scenario development tends to include participatory methods for engaging stakeholders and is conducted at multiple...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2007-06-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss1/art8/ |
| _version_ | 1818581642487267328 |
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| author | Kasper Kok Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs Monika Zurek |
| author_facet | Kasper Kok Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs Monika Zurek |
| author_sort | Kasper Kok |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Scenario planning is increasingly recognized as a useful tool for exploring change in social-ecological systems on decadal to centennial time horizons. In environmental decision making, scenario development tends to include participatory methods for engaging stakeholders and is conducted at multiple scales. This paper presents insights from participatory scenario development in two separate multiscale environmental assessments. We find that, to engage stakeholders at multiple scales, it is important that the issues explored at each scale be relevant and credible to stakeholders at that scale. An important trade-off exists between maintaining relevance to stakeholders at different scales and maintaining consistency across scales to allow for comparison of scenarios. Where downscaling methods are used to ensure consistency, there can be important consequences for (1) the diversity of scenario outcomes, (2) temporal mismatches in the storylines at different scales, and (3) power relationships among stakeholders at different scales. We suggest that development of participatory scenarios at multiple scales has a strong potential to contribute to environmental decision making, but it requires a substantial investment of time and resources to realize its full potential. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T07:36:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5e6b60d05b940b5ab7a14531085512e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1708-3087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T07:36:44Z |
| publishDate | 2007-06-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5e6b60d05b940b5ab7a14531085512e2022-12-21T22:39:12ZengResilience AllianceEcology and Society1708-30872007-06-01121810.5751/ES-01971-1201081971Methods for Developing Multiscale Participatory Scenarios: Insights from Southern Africa and EuropeKasper Kok0Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs1Monika Zurek2Wageningen UniversityCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)Scenario planning is increasingly recognized as a useful tool for exploring change in social-ecological systems on decadal to centennial time horizons. In environmental decision making, scenario development tends to include participatory methods for engaging stakeholders and is conducted at multiple scales. This paper presents insights from participatory scenario development in two separate multiscale environmental assessments. We find that, to engage stakeholders at multiple scales, it is important that the issues explored at each scale be relevant and credible to stakeholders at that scale. An important trade-off exists between maintaining relevance to stakeholders at different scales and maintaining consistency across scales to allow for comparison of scenarios. Where downscaling methods are used to ensure consistency, there can be important consequences for (1) the diversity of scenario outcomes, (2) temporal mismatches in the storylines at different scales, and (3) power relationships among stakeholders at different scales. We suggest that development of participatory scenarios at multiple scales has a strong potential to contribute to environmental decision making, but it requires a substantial investment of time and resources to realize its full potential.http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss1/art8/Mediterraneanmultiscale scenarioparticipationscalescenariosouthern Africa |
| spellingShingle | Kasper Kok Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs Monika Zurek Methods for Developing Multiscale Participatory Scenarios: Insights from Southern Africa and Europe Ecology and Society Mediterranean multiscale scenario participation scale scenario southern Africa |
| title | Methods for Developing Multiscale Participatory Scenarios: Insights from Southern Africa and Europe |
| title_full | Methods for Developing Multiscale Participatory Scenarios: Insights from Southern Africa and Europe |
| title_fullStr | Methods for Developing Multiscale Participatory Scenarios: Insights from Southern Africa and Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Methods for Developing Multiscale Participatory Scenarios: Insights from Southern Africa and Europe |
| title_short | Methods for Developing Multiscale Participatory Scenarios: Insights from Southern Africa and Europe |
| title_sort | methods for developing multiscale participatory scenarios insights from southern africa and europe |
| topic | Mediterranean multiscale scenario participation scale scenario southern Africa |
| url | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss1/art8/ |
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