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Involving stakeholders in the various stages of a modelling process thereby provides increased opportunities to incorporate local knowledge and expertise into the analytical model. Frequently, such knowledge can be a valuable source of information about the local situation and context, can help identify and anticipate of areas of concern and contention, and can help define acceptable planning objectives and policy interventions. Local expertise can also be used to improve and/or create innovative and alternative strategies, and is a critical source of information about the limitations of actions and their possible impacts. Collaborative modelling can introduce alternatives that would not be otherwise explored or considered, and also give voice to stakeholders that can be marginalised in more conventional planning processes (e.g. environment sector). By accounting for such information throughout the modelling process, acceptance for the proposed strategies can increase and the sustainability of the adopted strategy enhanced. In addition, the exchanges that occur between stakeholders during the process can create opportunities for social learning. Stakeholders are not only able to learn about the problem and its alternative solutions, but also about the perspectives and concerns of the other stakeholders involved.
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“To create legacy and contribute to long term sustainability, it is important that stakeholders are involved in the process to develop the meta-model...When people are familiar with the tools and techniques and know how to use them, they feel more ownership over the meta-model themselves.”
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