Stakeholder identification and engagement strategy

Most LPs arise through the leadership of a few ‘champions’ of landscape stewardship from different sectors. LPs develop over time to recruit other champions and build a network and ‘shared leadership’ that involves allies from multiple sectors and organizations whose inputs are needed to sustainably manage the landscape. LPs can include local stakeholders as well as stakeholders who are physically distant but have legitimate interests in the landscape (e.g. investors, or multinational companies that source from the landscape). The roles of the different stakeholders will depend on the activities of the LP and the assets, capacities and motivations of its members.

Stakeholder mapping and analysis helps to identify the relevant players in the landscape who might be affected by, or affect the LP’s objectives. Based on this analysis, the LP can develop a strategy of consultation and awareness-raising to help secure their engagement. The engagement process involves primarily listening to the concerns and interests of prospective partners, initially individually or in small groups, to understand what factors would attract them to join a partnership and what would keep them from joining. The process also involves sharing relevant, objective, culturally appropriate and easily accessible information about the challenges that are inspiring collaborative landscape action. Part of the strategy development is determining who would be most effective in approaching specific stakeholders to explore and spark their interest. For businesses to engage, the LP needs to present a clear ‘business case’ for doing so.

Periodically updating the stakeholder analysis and strategy can ensure that important stakeholders continue to be included in dialogue and decision making.

Stakeholder identification and engagement strategy Tools

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IIED Stakeholder Influence Mapping

  • Guide

Stakeholder influence mapping is a tool to examine and visually display the relative influence that different individuals and groups have over decision-making. This paper describes one approach to doing stakeholder influence mapping and presents several examples.

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​​Mapping Social Landscapes: A Guide to Identifying the Networks, Priorities, and Values of Restoration Actors

  • Analytical
  • Co-design
  • Guide

This guidebook (also mentioned in output 2.2) takes a new approach to environmental governance by focusing on identifying the social capital of actors within the landscapes. It centers on two main approaches: 1) mapping connectivity (the degree to which individuals and organizations are connected) and 2) mapping actors’ priorities and values (to reveal the cultural systems behind social networks). By using these two approaches together, LPs can develop a detailed picture of their social landscape which they can draw upon when determining which actors and organizations would be best positioned to contribute to the partnership.

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Partner Assessment Form

  • Co-design

This tool provides a series of prompts to inspire those creating a partnership to ask systematic questions of any potential partner to ensure a good fit with the goals and needs of the partnership. This tool should be used as a starting point for exploring a potential relationship by providing a basis for frank discussions with the key players involved at both senior and operations levels.

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Stakeholder Characteristics and Roles Matrix

  • Co-design

This tool aims to analyze the most important stakeholders in a partnership by focusing on their characteristics and roles.

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The Partnering Toolbook Stakeholder Mapping Tool

  • Co-design

This is another tool designed to identify all the organizations and individuals who may play some role in a potential landscape partnership or should at least be taken into account.

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The SDG Partnership Guidebook Stakeholder Mapping Tool

  • Co-design

This tool is designed to identify all the organizations and individuals who need to be taken into account in a potential landscape partnership and who might play some role in the partnership.