Where the power lies: multiple stakeholder politics over natural ...

Step 2. Identifying the stakeholders in the multiple stakeholder
group
The identification of stakeholders is an important step in the analysis. Where resources
are contested, gathering data on stakeholders needs to be conducted with a high degree
of sensitivity and diplomacy. The purpose of the analysis, will determine the amount of
data required to build individual profiles on each stakeholder.
Question:
Who are the stakeholders involved?
Specific questions:
1. What type of stakeholder are they (Individuals, private companies, communities;
the government; non governmental organisations etc.).
2. What are their interests in the resource?
3. Who are the stakeholders representing?
4. Who are the stakeholders accountable to?
There are many methods currently in use for identifying stakeholders. Of these methods the
most common is stakeholder analysis. However, even stakeholder analysis has evolved through
time, from relatively simple checklists of all the stakeholders involved to complex analyses
detailing many characteristics of the stakeholder as well as describing the roles and jurisdictions
of each stakeholder. Some methods are based on interests and others are based on type of
organisation. An analysis of the stakeholders in forestry in Cameroon shows a range of
stakeholders extending from local to supranational level (Table 1). The complexity of the
analysis will vary depending on the amount of information one needs for this and other
related analyses. The way the data is presented may also vary from simple lists to matrices.
For this type of analysis one may need to collect data at several levels as stakeholders often
interact at different scales. For example, stakeholders in many natural resources situations
extend beyond the national borders and include both legitimate and illegitimate stakeholders.
In management situations like forestry in Indonesia one identifies a whole array of stakeholders
from indigenous people to government officials, NGOs, donor organizations, national and
illegal loggers and international companies. Hierarchical and vested interests are a feature of
many natural resources management situations. For example, Hasler (1993) in Zimbabwe
explains how different levels can exert control on management decisions on wildlife that
occur at the resource level (Box 8). Management takes place both within and between levels.
Consequently, though we may focus on a particular multiple stakeholder group as the entry
point, it is important not to discount the importance of other stakeholders operating at other
levels, or the linkages between them. Quite often, there are stakeholders that ‘front’ interests
other than those they claim to represent. Further, there may be stakeholders who have not
been included but have a stake in the decisions that are taken. Often these stakeholders find
ways to have their interests considered. Thus, the definition of stakeholders should not be
restricted to only those participating and sitting around the table or listed in some documents.
What to look for:
1. Who are the stakeholders?
2. Which stakeholders should be involved who are not included?
3. Which stakeholders are involved who should not be there?
4. What other levels of organization exist and connect with that stakeholder and
influence their participation?
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