Abstract
Identifying stakeholders and analysing the pattern of relationships among them are important steps toward collaborating with individuals and groups for collective action. The process of stakeholders’ communication can be understood by interpreting the structure of the network in which stakeholders operate. Our study attempted to identify stakeholders, determine the structure of their relationships through a social network analysis and examine how network structure could aid collaborative efforts towards invasive species management. We used organizational network analysis, a web-based program, to collect network data for conservation groups on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. Response rate was 47% of the 103 contacts made and thirty-five conservation groups were identified. Results revealed low density, high non-reciprocity, and high centrality among a few stakeholders in the network suggesting a non-cohesive network. We identify how influential stakeholders could carefully initiate and strengthen collaborations that might lead to collective invasive species management action after a thorough examination of mandated, funded or shared interest relationships.
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Acknowledgements
We sincerely appreciate all the conservation stakeholders on Waiheke Island for spending time to respond to the survey; and more time in numerous discussions about the future of pest management on the island. We also thank various Auckland Council staff for providing us with initial contacts for the survey and Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee (AUTEC) for providing the necessary ethical approval for this study.
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Omondiagbe, H.A., Towns, D.R., Wood, J.K. et al. Stakeholders and social networks identify potential roles of communities in sustainable management of invasive species. Biol Invasions 19, 3037–3049 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-017-1506-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-017-1506-1