A participatory approach to select indicators for water resources planning and strategic environmental assessment
Abstract
The water resources planning and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) processesare supported in the characterization and evaluation of river basin relevant issues andin the communication with stakeholders. Indicators are... [ view full abstract ]
The water resources planning and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) processesare supported in the characterization and evaluation of river basin relevant issues andin the communication with stakeholders. Indicators are increasingly used tools forfostering interaction with stakeholders. Stakeholders involved in water resourcesplanning and SEA processes have different roles and skills and also have different needsregarding the supporting information. The main aim of this research was to develop aset of indicators for water resources planning and SEA, supported by a participatoryprocess. An initial selection of indicators used in water resources planning and SEA wasdrawn from the literature review. The indicator set was then evaluated through aparticipatory process, mainly supported by interviews and questionnaire surveys toselected key stakeholders. Each indicator was then evaluated according to qualitativescoring evaluation criteria of relevancy, feasibility and comprehensibility. A finalvalidation was conducted to assure that the final core set of indicators obtained wasbalanced and representative. The results showed the importance of stakeholderengagement for indicator selection and development, contributing to supportpractitioners and decision-makers with common tools that will guide water resourcesplans and corresponding strategic environmental assessment processes. The frameworkto promote stakeholders’ engagement in the process of selecting indicators for waterresources planning initiatives supports their commitment with the assessment andadopted indicators.
Keywords: indicators; stakeholders’ engagement; selection criteria; water resourcesplanning; strategic environmental assessment.
Authors
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Rosa Santos Coelho
(CENSE, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal)
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Pedro S. Coelho
(MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal)
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Tomás Ramos
(CENSE, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal)
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Paula Antunes
(CENSE, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal)
Topic Area
1c. Assessing sustainability (indicators and reporting)
Session
PS1 » Poster Session 1 - Themes 1,2,3,4 (14:00 - Wednesday, 13th June, Rectorate - Great Hallway - First floor)
Paper
empty_final_draft.pdf
