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Stakeholder Analysis and Social-Biophysical Interdependencies for Common Pool Resource Management: La Brava Wetland (Argentina) as a Case Study

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Abstract

This article gives an account of the implementation of a stakeholder analysis framework at La Brava Wetland Basin, Argentina, in a common-pool resource (CPR) management context. Firstly, the context in which the stakeholder framework was implemented is described. Secondly, a four-step methodology is applied: (1) stakeholder identification, (2) stakeholder differentiation-categorization, (3) investigation of stakeholders’ relationships, and (4) analysis of social-biophysical interdependencies. This methodology classifies stakeholders according to their level of influence on the system and their potential in the conservation of natural resources. The main influential stakeholders are La Brava Village residents and tourism-related entrepreneurs who are empowered to make the more important decisions within the planning process of the ecosystem. While these key players are seen as facilitators of change, there are other groups (residents of the inner basin and fishermen) which are seen mainly as key blockers. The applied methodology for the Stakeholder Analysis and the evaluation of social-biophysical interdependencies carried out in this article can be seen as an encouraging example for other experts in natural sciences to learn and use these methods developed in social sciences. Major difficulties and some recommendations of applying this method in the practice by non-experts are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by Mar del Plata National University through ARQ 168/07 and EXA 388/08. One of the authors (AR) is indebted to the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) for fellowship support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Geología de Costas y del Cuaternario, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350. Piso 1, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Asunción Romanelli & Héctor E. Massone

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Asunción Romanelli & Alicia H. Escalante

  3. Laboratorio de Limnología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250. Piso 2, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Alicia H. Escalante

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  1. Asunción Romanelli
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  2. Héctor E. Massone
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  3. Alicia H. Escalante
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Correspondence to Asunción Romanelli.

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Romanelli, A., Massone, H.E. & Escalante, A.H. Stakeholder Analysis and Social-Biophysical Interdependencies for Common Pool Resource Management: La Brava Wetland (Argentina) as a Case Study. Environmental Management 48, 462–474 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9698-0

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