Finding common grounds for conflict resolution through value analysis of stakeholders around the socio-ecological crisis of the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (Spain)

Abstract

Aligning with people’s values in landscape political decisions can help to minimise conflicts between stakeholders and support social acceptability of solutions for systemic transitions. This paper explores how shared and diverging values of the main stakeholders involved in socio-ecological crises, and the co-creation of solutions, can be key for finding common grounds for conflict resolution and sustainable socio-ecosystems management. These concepts were applied by a participatory process to identify and select solutions for the environmental and socio-economic crisis of the Mar Menor coastal lagoon and its watershed (SE Spain). With information from six sectorial workshops and one multisector workshop, a stakeholder analysis based on values and initiatives was performed. The results indicate that all the stakeholder groups prioritised transition to governance, economic and educational models that respect nature and cultural landscapes, with values aligning with the population’s identity and their livelihoods. The values and solutions linked with stakeholders ‘Farmers’, which represented