Conceptually, the benefits of high stakeholder involvement during the planning process are generally accepted. Stakeholder participation can serve as a tool to achieve the sustainable use of water resources. It is both a means to an end, and an end itself; insofar as it can lead to increased stakeholder empowerment and make planning and decision making processes more transparent and democratic. Participation is also a process that enhances the capacity of individuals to improve their own lives, which facilitates social change. In addition, bringing stakeholders together around a table can foster consensus among competing organizations by opening channels of communication, generating mutual understanding and negotiating alternative solutions. Through building trust, ownership, and consensus the legitimacy and support for the planning process and its outputs can all be increased.
In practice, however, structuring stakeholder processes are frequently the most difficult aspect of planning. The effectiveness of a participatory process is heavily influenced by the specific characteristics, interests, concerns and needs of the stakeholders involved. A willingness of stakeholders to participate is important but not sufficient. Whether more influential stakeholders permit, facilitate or encourage the involvement of other stakeholders, or alternatively prevent their participation, is critical. The involvement of stakeholders affects the process. There will be cases where stakeholders will purposely not want to participate to delegitimize a participatory process, certain stakeholders will not have the availability or resources to participate, or certain groups will collude to exclude others. The facilitator will need to make a careful and diligent stakeholder assessment to determine the impact of certain exclusions, determine if there are possible corrective actions, and determine whether to proceed or change planning scope.
In general, collaborative processes should be structured such that roles, stakes, levels of participation and responsibilities are all understood. In addition, different stakeholders will likely have different levels of formal education and opportunities to participate. It is important to keep in mind that while technical analysts understand data and modelling, stakeholders understand their sector and interests. Further, participatory processes must be structured to efficiently and effectively progress planning, modelling and negotiations. Conflicts can occur, and rules should be established to secure a path forward. For instance, the scope of a planning project may need to be revisited if a conflict cannot be resolved.
