These 3 case studies highlight different ways that you can be more mindful of natural stakeholders, and how you can bring nature into project activities and decision making. This not only includes nature, but also helps you to consider a growing cause of social inequality – with many areas affected by floods, green spaces, farming, and other environmental factors. 

Indirectly representing natural stakeholders  

Using experimental methods to reimagine decision-making for the freshwater system– Policy Lab, DEFRA Futures, Moral Imaginations 

 
Together – Policy Lab, DEFRA Futures, and Moral Imaginations – formed The River Roding Interspecies Council. Colleagues from each organisation, as well as the local community, each represented one of the many natural lifeforms that are part of the river.  

This approach helped project participants to develop empathy for the lifeforms. Not only the ones they are familiar with or which society represents positively, but also those which people are often less familiar with. 

It also highlighted the interconnectedness of different natural stakeholders including humans, by different species having discussions with each other. 

Fieldwork and working on site 

Exploring Padova’s Fluvial Heritage: Insights from a Transdisciplinary Experience – River Cities Network (RCN) 

The River Cities Network promotes “ecologically and socially inclusive revitalization of rivers and waterways and the landscapes, cities and neighborhoods that co-exist with them”. 

A social scientist, two architects, and an environmental engineer took a transdisciplinary approach to understanding and representing an urban river. They spent time moving up and down the river, looking at it with different themes in mind.  

This then gave them a more nuanced understanding of the river, which supported their thinking about how conflicting activities could be resolved, and how citizens could form a new relationship with the river. 

Including local interest groups that are close to nature 

The potential for local environmental governance: A case study of Natural Cambridgeshire – Journal for Nature Conservation

This example highlights just how many active groups dedicated to natural parts of a bioregion there may be in any given place.

Over 20 groups were identified in Cambridgeshire, that have members who have a strong understanding of a particular part of the local nature. These include Nature Recovery groups, community groups, river and catchment area organisations, the National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, conservation partnerships and trusts, and farmers groups.  

More details are provided in the report on Natural Cambridgeshire, and a full list of the local organisations can be found in Appendix 1 

Source

Using experimental methods to reimagine decision-making for the freshwater system, post 2043 – Policy Lab, DEFRA Futures, Moral Imaginations 

Exploring Padova’s Fluvial Heritage: Insights from a Transdisciplinary Experience – River Cities Network (RCN) 

The potential for local environmental governance: A case study of Natural Cambridgeshire – Journal for Nature Conservation