The Participatory Process behind the Green Infrastructure Plan in Scania, Sweden

Abstract: This study explores stakeholders’ perceptions of the participation process of Green Infrastructure (GI) in Scania. Participation processes have become increasingly important and common in dealing with complex issues, especially within forestry. There is a threat to our forests' functional biodiversity and risks in the provision of ecosystem services, many species are threatened and have been red listed. In response to this biodiversity issue, the Swedish Government has mandated the County Administrative Boards to design regional GI plans, created with the inclusion of stakeholders and applying a participatory process. This plan aims to increase the knowledge base about the landscape and ecosystems values with the goal of long-term preservation and sustainable management, with initiatives for species and environments that are vulnerable, i.e., preserving and developing the ecosystem services. This study was based on semi-structured interviews carried out with 14 different stakeholders within the forest sector. The data is analysed using a theoretical framework focused on collaborative governance to comprehend the criteria of a successful participation process to achieve collective learning and environmentally friendly outcomes. The main findings were that, in general, individual stakeholders perceive the participatory process of GI as mainly informational rather than deliberative. New knowledge exchange and collective learning has been missing, these results could be caused by the limits in resources and the timeframe of the entire process. Despite the GI plan documents are finalised, it does not mean the participation as a process should be finished because it may limit the realisation of activities that foster GI across Scania’s landscape. This study adds an in-depth analysis of stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of the creation of GI. Moreover, it underscores what criteria are required to have successful outcomes for an inclusive governance of forest resources.