Stakeholder participation is an integral part of all our strategic planning and development assessment projects. Our experience demonstrates that effective involvement of local and broader communities, government authorities and other stakeholders facilitates improved project outcomes in terms of understanding environmental issues and consequences, approval pathways and ongoing interaction.
We have experience in consulting with local communities and directly affected landholders, providing a personal link between people and the projects that affect their lives. We also work closely with social impact assessment specialists to ensure that complex social and economic interactions are fully understood, considered and assist in providing an integrated outcome.
Our stakeholder consultation experience includes contexts such as natural resource management, Aboriginal community involvement, development proposals in the extractive industry, residential devlopment and reviews of government funded community projects and programs.
We assist clients with:
- design of effective stakeholder consultation strategies including community participation programs;
- use of a range of mechanisms to facilitate dissemination of project information and encourage feedback, including:
- preparation of presentations, brochures, booklets and posters;
- development and maintenance of project web sites;
- individual interviews or group discussion with landholders and representatives of community groups;
- organisation and facilitation of community meetings, briefings, workshops, information sessions, open days and field days;
- evaluating and understanding the significance of community, government authority and other stakeholder issues;
- identifying the scope of social impact studies;
- incorporating stakeholder feedback into project design and ongoing management;
- culturally appropriate interaction with Aboriginal communities and representatives;
- preparation of training programs and manuals; and
- incorporation of community involvement in corporate environmental management systems.
