Objectives
- To inform the broad coastal community about the mitigation concept.
- To involve coastal stakeholders into the process of planning, implementation and sustainable use of mussel farms.
- To ensure societal acceptance by various ways of communication and public participation.
Tasks
Stakeholder identification and involvement
Using the Stakeholder-Issue-Mapping, developed in SPICOSA project, relevant stakeholders and stakeholder groups will be identified, their interests and relationships will be assessed. This is necessary to ensure that all key stakeholders will be involved and informed based on their interests and responsibilities. The mapping will be organized in all case study areas.
Explore the social and cultural barriers, solutions and perspectives of the mitigation concept
Local/public acceptability of mussel production will be investigated through direct contact with local, potentially affected inhabitants and stakeholders in relevant areas of Germany, Denmark and Sweden. A qualitative interview study will investigate people’s perceptions of the landscape they inhabit, the ways in which they interact with this landscape, and their perception of changes in the landscape. This will be juxtaposed with analysis of local media and a questionnaire study where mussel farming already exists.
Furthermore, the project will organize one or more workshops at relevant sites to present and discuss the mitigation concept, illuminate potential conflicts (social, economic, cultural) and discuss solutions. This leads to the development of guidelines of how to mediate social acceptance on mussel mitigation cultures.
Public outreach
Information and communication by using different tools and channels, as e.g. the European EUCC network, will result in a broad knowledge and will raise acceptance of the mitigation concept. Target groups are e.g. managers, representatives of local/ regional authorities, private companies, research institutions, NGOs, and private people.
Therefore, the project will publish fact sheets, brochures, roll-ups and a movie. Furthermore, the project will organize a stakeholder event shared by all case studies.
Partners involved
- Coastal Union Germany
- Technical University of Denmark
- Aarhus University
- Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research
- University of Gothenburg