Challenges and Strategies in Place-Based Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Sustainability: Learning from Experiences in the Global South

Ayala-Orozco, Bárbara; Rosell, Julieta A.; Merçon, Juliana; Bueno, Isabel; Alatorre-Frenk, Gerardo; Langle-Flores, Alfonso; Lobato, Anaid

doi:10.3390/su10093217

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Challenges and Strategies in Place-Based Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Sustainability: Learning from Experiences in the Global South

^2,*

⁴,

Gerardo Alatorre-Frenk

⁵,

Alfonso Langle-Flores

⁶

and

Anaid Lobato

⁵

Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia CP 58190, Mexico

Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City CP 04510, Mexico

Coordinación Universitaria para la Sustentabilidad, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa CP 91090, Mexico

⁴

Posgrado en Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City CP 04510, Mexico

⁵

Instituto de Investigaciones en Educación, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa CP 91097, Mexico

⁶

Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Sede Región Centro, Aguascalientes CP 20313, Mexico

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3217; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093217

Received: 30 July 2018 / Revised: 3 September 2018 / Accepted: 4 September 2018 / Published: 8 September 2018

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Abstract

Addressing complex environmental problems requires the collaboration of stakeholders with divergent perspectives, a goal that is challenged by diverse factors. Challenges hindering multi-stakeholder collaboration (MSC) for sustainability have previously been addressed in the context of transnational partnerships. However, less is known regarding how place-based MSC operates, especially in the context of the Global South. To contribute to addressing the factors that hinder place-based MSC for sustainability in the Global South, we analyzed 38 MSC projects spanning diverse ecological and social contexts across Mexico. In a series of participatory workshops, 128 stakeholders from academia, government, business, local communities, and civil society organizations discussed factors that hinder place-based MSC and co-constructed strategies to strengthen collaboration. Some challenges coincided with those identified in previous studies (e.g., divergent visions, inadequate project planning), whereas other concerns that have not been commonly regarded as important emerged as crucial obstacles for MSC. We discuss these challenges in the context of areas of limited statehood and point to the traditions of popular education and participatory action research as a source of valuable tools for place-based MSC. We identify strategies capable of addressing diverse challenges, a result that could aid prioritizing resource allocation to strengthen MSC. View Full-Text

Keywords: multi-stakeholder collaboration; limited statehood; network analysis; partnerships; sustainability; transdisciplinary collaboration

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Ayala-Orozco, B.; Rosell, J.A.; Merçon, J.; Bueno, I.; Alatorre-Frenk, G.; Langle-Flores, A.; Lobato, A. Challenges and Strategies in Place-Based Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Sustainability: Learning from Experiences in the Global South. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3217. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093217

AMA Style

Ayala-Orozco B, Rosell JA, Merçon J, Bueno I, Alatorre-Frenk G, Langle-Flores A, Lobato A. Challenges and Strategies in Place-Based Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Sustainability: Learning from Experiences in the Global South. Sustainability. 2018; 10(9):3217. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093217

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ayala-Orozco, Bárbara, Julieta A. Rosell, Juliana Merçon, Isabel Bueno, Gerardo Alatorre-Frenk, Alfonso Langle-Flores, and Anaid Lobato. 2018. "Challenges and Strategies in Place-Based Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Sustainability: Learning from Experiences in the Global South" Sustainability 10, no. 9: 3217. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093217

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Challenges and Strategies in Place-Based Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Sustainability: Learning from Experiences in the Global South

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