Stakeholder mapping and engagement in living labs for co-designing nature-based solutions in sustainable land and water management

Abstract

The Living Lab approach is gaining popularity to promote the co-design of innovative nature-based solutions (NBSs) to improve the resilience of endangered Mediterranean dryland socio-ecological systems and to restore degraded ecosystems in lands arid and hyper-arid. However, the socio-ecological complexity of the rural and agricultural contexts of the Mediterranean presents specific potential and constraints that have been considered by six LLs in the context of the SALAM-MED PRIMA project. Identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders is a crucial first step. This ensures that all relevant voices are heard and that the solutions address the needs and concerns of the community. Since the stakeholder mapping phase and then in the co-design of the NBS, the LLs have been designed as spaces to generate lasting learning processes and tailored methodological approaches have been adopted to empower local stakeholders and support the scaling-out of NBS.