You are here:
Decision Support Tools as Opportunities for Engagement and Communication
Citation:
Harwell, M., L. Sharpe, S. Yee, AND C. Jackson. Decision Support Tools as Opportunities for Engagement and Communication. National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 26 - 30, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Give oral presentation to the National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration to introduce decision support and stakeholder engagement principles to the ecosystem restoration community of practice.
Description:
Decision support frameworks create structure for the numerous steps involved in making a decision. Many frameworks include elements for incorporating stakeholder input into the decision process. By helping decision makers to take a more structured and transparent approach at key points within the decision process, the use of decision support tools (DST) also provides support for the communication efforts of ecosystem restoration practitioners by setting up clear opportunities for stakeholder engagement and consistent messaging regarding the decision process. In this presentation, we discuss our experiences with decision support tools for applications in ecosystem services as they inform both stakeholder identification and engagement processes, and aid valuable communication efforts. Our main target audience for this presentation includes decision makers (e.g., land managers and community decision makers), however, our focus on elements of stakeholder engagement and communication in structured decision making is relevant for a range of ecosystem restoration practitioners.