Stakeholder engagement vs. social distancing—how does the Covid-19 pandemic affect participatory research in EU marine science projects?
Köpsel, V.; de Moura Kiipper, G.; Peck, M.A. (2021). Stakeholder engagement vs. social distancing—how does the Covid-19 pandemic affect participatory research in EU marine science projects? Marit. Stud. 20: 189-205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-021-00223-4 In: Maritime Studies. Springer: Amsterdam. ISSN 2212-9790; e-ISSN 2212-9790, more | |
Keyword | | Author keywords | Stakeholder engagement; Covid-19; Social distancing; Marine research; Transdisciplinarity; EU |
Authors | | Top | - Köpsel, V.
- de Moura Kiipper, G.
- Peck, M.A., more
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Abstract | In the realm of marine science, engaging with stakeholders (e.g., industry members, policy-makers, managers, NGOs) is animportant method applied in many research projects. The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted this engagement in twoways. First, social distancing measures forbid most face-to-face participatory activities originally envisioned in projects. Second,the restrictions have caused hardships for the stakeholders being engaged by these projects. We assessed the impact of Covid-19on stakeholder engagement activities in ongoing EU marine science projects by posing the following questions: What problemshas Covid-19 caused for the workflow and outcomes of current research projects, (ii) how have scientists responsible forstakeholder engagement coped with the situation, and (iii) if alternative stakeholder activities were implemented, how have thesebeen evaluated? Our survey was conducted nearly 2 months after the onset of Covid-19 lockdowns. It addressed researchers whoengage with stakeholders in EU projects and delivers insights into the practical implications of Covid-19 for stakeholderengagement and the measures taken to tackle this challenge. The paper highlights the impacts of the pandemic on stakeholderengagement in marine science, outlines current coping strategies in different EU projects, and recommends seven practicalactions to promote and maintain meaningful exchange with stakeholders in times of social distancing and lockdowns. |
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