Deliberation

Subtask Description:
Prepare a deliberation forum.

Area:
Guadiana Estuary, Portugal (& Spain)

Policy Issue:
Management of the discharges of untreated wastewater into the estuarine environment

Human Activities:
Energy production, tourism, urban activity, agriculture and livestock farming, aquaculture.

General Information:
The estuary is the natural border between Portugal and Spain. On both sides of the estuary, especially in Spain, urban development is taking place, mainly associated with tourism and threatens to increase the inputs of pollutants, namely nutrients and bacteria.  Nutrient input is expected to change, not only due to fertilizer application on golf courses, but also due to the river discharge from a large dam, which has accumulated nutrients during its filling. On the Portuguese side, the construction of a large-scale WWTP, designed to serve several urban areas, was successively delayed since it is located within a protected area. The main stakeholder concerns relate to asymmetric development strategies of the two countries and the impact of activities taking place in the watershed on the estuarine and coastal water quality, which has consequences on tourism attractiveness, fisheries, or traditional salt farming.

Example of Implementation:

The Stakeholder Forum in Guadiana Estuary was planned as a day long discussion session, divided in four communication panels followed by a moderated discussion and a poster session. It was an open access event since the debates targeted all stakeholders of the Guadiana Estuary. However personalized invitations were sent to stakeholders involved in SAF application. Hence there was a mixture of personally invited stakeholders and general public with interest on the subject.
To open the Forum, a short video co-produced by CIMA and CIAC (Research Centre for Arts and Communication) was screened. The video plot depicted the interaction of disconnected dimensions in the Guadiana Estuary, creating the need to implement an integrated management approach. This was considered to be an important aspect having in mind the desired multivision format for showing the need for the SAF. The video is also included in the multimedia output package (GUADID v.2).
Each panel session included the presence of 2-3 speakers and a moderator. To increase the engagement and motivation to participate, moderation was a shared responsibility between the local team and some stakeholders. Each panel would focus a specific theme:

Communications: ARH Alentejo; EDIA; CIMA.
Moderation: André Mascarenhas (Guadiana team).

Communications: VRSA municipality; Quinta do Vale Golf resort. Environment office of Isla Cristina municipality.
Moderation: Carlos Sousa (Guadiana team).

Communications: International Centre for Coastal Hydrology (ICCE); CIMA.
Moderation: Teresa de Noronha (Research Centre for Spatial and Organizational Dynamics - CIEO).

Communications: RNSCMVRSA; CIEO; Institute of Ports and Maritime Transportation (IPTM).
Moderation: Helena Guimarães (Guadiana team).


Figure 1: Photo of one of the stakeholder Forum’s panels.

All sessions were carefully observed by two team members who noted all information exchange. By the end of each communication panel, a 15 minute question and discussion took place. The idea was to capture the audience’s perception about the presented contents, retrieving information that could be used for a sound discussion about SAF implementation and ICZM. The almost 50 participants were encouraged to engage in the panel’s subjects through questions previously prepared by the team.
The last interaction process was achieved through a round table discussion, including all previous speakers and the audience (fig. 16). It was intended to open space for discussion about the Guadiana Estuary future, namely, how to manage information, coastal zones and human activities efficiently. One relevant aspect of this debate was that the Vice-President of VRSA municipality was the moderator, together with the SSA team leader.


Figure 2: Round table discussion of the stakeholder Forum.

The event finished with a poster session. The posters prepared showed, in a very visual and simple manner, the distinct scientific projects being developed in the Guadiana and its application for the management of the estuary.


Figure 3: Poster session in the end of the stakeholder Forum.

Contact: Mascarenhas, apmascarenhas@ualg.pt.