Research Material in Stakeholder Engagement

Experiences from case studies indicate that relatively simple measures can be taken to reduce conflict. Creating an atmosphere of trust is fundamental and ensuring that all participants feel they have the opportunity to contribute their views reduces tension, allowing discussion and negotiation to begin from a positive starting point. Projects are expected to conduct research on the factors influencing rodent outbreaks in different European sites including an agricultural land in Northern Spain. Outbreaks result in crop damage and pose a risk to human health, and there was an established conflict between stakeholders about how outbreaks should be managed, due to use of poisons by farmers having a detrimental effect on biodiversity. Projects were successful in turning confrontations into a more rational approach to management through sustained dialogue and information provision that culminated in the agreement of a management protocol (although it should be noted that there has been a re-emergence of conflict over this issue at the time of publication).