ERIP 4 - Task 2

Strategic Planning Processes for Ecosystem Restoration

Task 2: How to Classify, Understand, and Map Stakeholders and Rights Holders

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How to Classify, Understand, and Map Stakeholders and Rights Holders

The identification of relevant stakeholders and rights holders alone will not be enough to ensure your program is inclusive and participative. To achieve this, you will also need to understand your stakeholders’ and rights holders’ interests and roles in the restoration program.

Start with Key Questions

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Start with Key Questions

Begin by researching the local context to build a foundation for your analysis. These guiding questions can help uncover who’s involved, what’s at stake, and where potential tensions or opportunities may lie:

• What are the primary geographic features, political boundaries, and key landmarks?
• Which major organizations are active in the community?
• Where are the key restoration interventions planned?
• Who are the influential individuals or opinion leaders?
• How does information typically flow — what are trusted communication methods?
• What are people’s perceptions and attitudes about the restoration issues at hand?i

Classify Your Stakeholders

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References

Classify Your Stakeholders

Not all stakeholders play the same role. Classifying them helps clarify how to engage each group meaningfully. According to the IUCN’s ROAM methodologyi, stakeholders are often grouped into:

Interest groups

Primary (direct) stakeholders

Secondary (indirect) stakeholders

Map Interest and Influence

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References

Map Interest and Influence

Once classified, you can map each group’s level of interest and influence using an interest-influence matrixi:For each stakeholder, identify:

• What is the degree of their influence over these services? (low, medium, high)

• What are the reasons for their interest and influence?

Practice: Use the matrix template provided to plot stakeholders from your context.

Case Study: Learning from Wakatobi National Park (Indonesia)

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References

Case Study: Learning from Wakatobi National Park (Indonesia)

Learn from Wakatobi National Park in Indonesia, where poor engagement led to conflict. Review how stakeholder identification, classification, and relationship mapping were used to improve participation.

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Step 1: Stakeholder identification

Step 2: Stakeholder classification

Step 3: Mapping relationships among stakeholders

Wakatobi shows why stakeholder engagement can’t stop at identification. It must move toward understanding and mapping relationships — otherwise, even well-intentioned projects risk failure.

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References

Stakeholders in the marine conservation area of Wakatobi National Park (WNP) were identified through semi-structured interviews. Stakeholders were divided into groups: government groups composed of central government and local government; non-governmental organizations, local communities, customary institutions, academia; and the private sector.

Section overview

Start

How to Classify, Understand, and Map Stakeholders and Rights Holders

Start with Key Questions

Classify Your Stakeholders

Map Interest and Influence

Case Study: Learning from Wakatobi National Park (Indonesia)

Section overview

Start

How to Classify, Understand, and Map Stakeholders and Rights Holders

Start with Key Questions

Classify Your Stakeholders

Map Interest and Influence

Case Study: Learning from Wakatobi National Park (Indonesia)

iAdimu, H., Boer, M., Yulianda, F. & Damar, A. 2017. The Role of Stakeholders in Marine Conservation Areas in Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia. AACL Bioflux. Volume 10, Issue 6.

iMacPherson, C. & Tonning, T. 2015. Getting in Step: Engaging and Involving Stakeholders in Your Watershed. Available here (p. 30).

iIUCN & WRI. 2014. A guide to the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM): Assessing Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities at the National or Sub-National Level. Working Paper (Road-test edition). Available here.

Section overview

Start

How to Classify, Understand, and Map Stakeholders and Rights Holders

Start with Key Questions

Classify Your Stakeholders

Map Interest and Influence

Case Study: Learning from Wakatobi National Park (Indonesia)

Wakatobi National Park (WNP) in Indonesia was designated a protected area because of its high biodiversity and ecosystem service delivery. However, stakeholders were not properly engaged, and their dynamics were not fully understood. As a result, conflict developed.Zoning regulations were established to prevent excessive resource use and protect vulnerable biota. These regulations aimed to preserve the ecological, economic, and cultural value of the area through passive restoration.i

Matrix of stakeholder interest and influence was developed. Influence increases from left to right; interest increases from top to bottom.

iRaum, S. 2018. A Framework for Integrating Systematic Stakeholder Analysis in Ecosystem Services Research: Stakeholder Mapping for Forest Ecosystem Services in the UK. Available here (p. 173).

Stakeholders’ levels of influence and interest were determined through interviews. This information was converted into scoring data to support classification.

Section overview

Start

How to Classify, Understand, and Map Stakeholders and Rights Holders

Start with Key Questions

Classify Your Stakeholders

Map Interest and Influence

Case Study: Learning from Wakatobi National Park (Indonesia)

Section overview

Start

How to Classify, Understand, and Map Stakeholders and Rights Holders

Start with Key Questions

Classify Your Stakeholders

Map Interest and Influence

Case Study: Learning from Wakatobi National Park (Indonesia)