CPSG staff responds to the conservation planning needs of prospective partners with creativity and flexibility.

All of our species conservation planning projects begin with a request from a prospective partner – a phone call, an e-mail, or a face-to-face conversation. From that initial contact, CPSG personnel work closely with partners to:

• Define the appropriate planning objectives and scope of analysis for the target species and its habitat;
• Identify the group of stakeholders necessary to analyze the wide range of issues that affect the species and the people that interact with it; and
• Develop an effective workshop design and facilitation methodology that will help participants reach their planning goals.

Depending on the needs of our prospective partners, we can select from a wide array of tools and processes to help workshop participants create an effective species conservation plan.

The Importance of Stakeholders in the PHVA Workshop Process

A critical first step in planning a PHVA workshop is the identification of key participants, normally referred to as stakeholders. A stakeholder is often defined by three primary characteristics:

• Concern – somebody with interest in the discussions around management of the species of concern and the outcome of the PHVA workshop;

• Expertise – somebody with information or resources available to contribute to the workshop discussions; and

• Power – somebody with the authority to support or block the implementation of recommendations resulting from the PHVA workshop.

Including a wide variety of stakeholders in a PHVA workshop offers the greatest opportunity for creative collaboration – but also can create real challenges for a facilitator who is responsible for keeping all participants moving toward the common workshop goal. To do this, it is vitally important for all stakeholders to seek common ground in their deliberations around species conservation management issues.

To learn more about stakeholders and their participation in PHVA workshops, we invite you to take a look at our PHVA Workshop Process Reference Packet.

Back to The PHVA Workshop Process.