conservation

advice & treatment

participatory conservation

Participatory Conservation involves engaging a broader public in the conservation and decision-making process. This can mean involving, for example, local residents living near an object in the public space, museum visitors, or specific communities in the process. Crucial to participatory conservation is determining beforehand the significance and scope of the participating parties, the role these individuals or institutions play in the process, and the weight given to their input within the decision-making model.

It may entail that stakeholders only participate by choosing from a set of pre-determined options. In that scenario, the diagnostic process has already taken place, and treatment options are subsequently presented. However, it can also mean that the entire conservation trajectory is established in collaboration with the participants. The multispectral aspect of participatory conservation enables a broader perspective and a decision-making model based on multiple viewpoints. Furthermore, it can place questions such as why and for whom we conserve into a broader perspective, though this consequently demands thorough preparation and careful process management.