Supporting Multi-Stakeholder Participation Processes: A Serious Game Application for Watershed Management in Colombia

Abstract

Multi-stakeholder participation processes in watershed management face challenges due to limited monitoring and baseline data, resulting in a lack of awareness among stakeholders about the current state of the watershed. This knowledge gap often leads to conflicts of interest, wherein the broader impacts of individual decisions are overlooked. To overcome these limitations, this paper explores the design and implementation of a Serious Game (SG) aimed at coproducing a watershed management plan at the basin scale within the specific context of the Campoalegre River basin in Colombia. By providing an interactive platform, the SG facilitates collaboration between local actors, who may be unfamiliar with existing watershed plans, and decision-makers. The goal is to create a participatory space where stakeholders can comprehend the watershed management plan structure and prioritize actions based on various climatic, social, and economic conditions. Following the application of the SG, stakeholders demonstrated an improved understanding of the basin, fostering increased participation, open debate, and the proposal of actions. These outcomes serve as valuable inputs for the implementation of water management planning policies, showcasing the potential of SGs in bridging knowledge gaps, and fostering effective multi-stakeholder engagement.