Getting everyone involved

Management and the stakeholder dialogue approach

– a first for North East Kent

The NE Kent Marine Protected Area (NEKMPA) Management Group consists of the ‘relevant authorities’ – that have some form of marine regulatory function in the sites – and are jointly responsible for the management scheme for the Marine Protected Area. They decided to bring in an independent organisation to help find a way forward for how local people would like the NEKMPA (then called the NE Kent European site) managed for its important wildlife.

The Stakeholder dialogue approach was unique in that it was the first time in this country that many different representative coastal users were brought together through a series of “consensus building” workshops (during the 1990s) to help produce a coastal management scheme.

These Stakeholders identified the problems which their own activities may cause to wildlife and worked together to develop a way forward.  They agreed a number of key actions, including action required to tackle obvious gaps in management and information. These actions included the development of a new Coastal Wildlife Project (the Thanet Coast Project) and a series of voluntary codes for various coastal activities.