Speaker
Description
This contribution presents a critical reflection on the implementation and outcomes of several EU-funded projects (Life and Interreg), developed by the authors, which have supported the establishment of an innovative collaborative and adaptive environmental governance that have stimulated a governance system by integrating formal regulatory frameworks with voluntary agreements and community-driven initiatives that operate across multiple levels of governance.
Specifically, this governance framework is structured on two interrelated levels. At the regional level, governance mechanisms include “Pacts”, open and permanent working groups where relevant stakeholders share common environmental and adaptation goals by signing a voluntary agreement, and “Environmental Contracts”, voluntary governance tool that engage institutions, local authorities, associations, and citizens in a participatory process to promote the sustainable management of a water basin, integrating water resource protection, hydrogeological risk prevention, ecological and landscape enhancement, and socio-economic development (Bastiani, 2011). Examples include the "Pact for Biodiversity" developed within the Life Greenchange project (2018 – 2023), the "Pact for Pollinators' Adaptation to Climate Change" from the Life BEEadapt project (2022 – ongoing) and the "Agro Pontino Coast Contract" developed through the Interreg Med Coasting project (2018 – 2019) and through regional funding programs. At the local level, “land stewardship agreements”, a voluntary governance tool that fosters collaboration between landowners, public institutions, and local organizations to promote the sustainable management and conservation of natural and cultural landscapes through long-term, participatory commitments (Sabaté et al., 2013), have been promoted by Life Greenchange project, Life BEEadapt project and by the Interreg EuroMed Coastrust project (2024 – ongoing).
This contribution explores this multi-layered governance system from the perspective of the research group actively involved in these processes, highlighting critical tensions, challenges, opportunities and potential trajectories emerging from the intersection of institutional structures and community practices fostering transformative action for environmental sustainability and climate adaptation.
One of the key challenges in implementing collaborative governance is ensuring the sustained engagement of diverse stakeholders. While actors are often involved in the strategic planning phase, difficulties arise in securing long-term participation during the implementation and management of interventions. This underscores the need for governance mechanisms that go beyond formal agreements and embed inclusive, bottom-up decision-making processes.
To address these challenges, the research group has experimented with innovative approaches aimed at enhancing active engagement of local stakeholders. In this framework, Pacts and Enviromental Contracts (at regional level) act as catalysts for adaptive and collaborative land stewardship practices (at local level). In particular, land stewardship agreements activate mechanisms of continuous collaboration and interaction among public institutions, associations, and economic actors while promoting innovative models of territorial management.
Specifically, this contribution presents the methodological approach and preliminary results of the EU Interreg Coastrust and Life BEEadapt projects, that starting from a climate change adaptation action program, are now developing community empowerment processes and testing innovative governance solutions that strengthen capacity to manage socio-ecological transitions of institutions and communities.
References
Bastiani, Massimo (2011) Contratti di Fiume. Pianificazione strategica e partecipata di bacini idrografici. Palermo: Dario Flaccovio Edizioni.
Sabaté, X., Basora, X., O’Neill, C., and Mitchell, B. (2013) Caring together for nature. Manual on land stewardship as a tool to promote social involvement with the natural environment in Europe. LandLife documents.
| Keywords | collaborative governance; voluntary agreement; land stewardship; environmental contract |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
