Participatory Approach to Wetland Governance: The Case of The Memorandum of Understanding of the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park

Katarina Polajnar Horvat (), Primož Gašperič, Kim Leban, Jure Tičar and Aleš Smrekar
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Katarina Polajnar Horvat: Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Primož Gašperič: Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Kim Leban: Soline Pridelava soli d.o.o., Seča 115, 6320 Portorož, Slovenia
Jure Tičar: Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Aleš Smrekar: Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: Wetlands are defined as dynamic ecosystems that combine the characteristics of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and are important from ecological as well as social and economic perspectives. In response to the intense degradation and alteration of wetlands, communities have developed various management strategies. One of the ways to achieve more effective participatory wetland management is to introduce the concept of a Wetland Contract, a voluntary agreement that ensures sustainable management and development of wetlands. This study on the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park in Slovenia follows the methodology of the preparation (legal framework, scientific description and stakeholder analysis) and implementation (organization of Territorial Labs, scenario planning and development) stages of the Wetland Contract concept. Of approximately 200 potential stakeholders, 34 participated in the Territorial Labs, and 16 stakeholders signed the less binding type of Wetland Contract, called the Memorandum of Understanding. The Memorandum of Understanding and its implementation process, which included systematic cross-sectoral participation, successfully overcame conflicts between stakeholders with different interests. The methodology used has shown great potential for further applications in wetlands of common interest.

Keywords: stakeholder participation; governance; Wetland Contract; marine protected area; biodiversity; Slovenia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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