Community Engagement & Consultation

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Nature-based solutions, by definition, are intended to benefit people and communities as well as natural ecosystems. Community and tribal engagement and consultation are critical in the planning and implementation of nature-based solutions to ensure that projects meet community and tribal needs, create outcomes that are equitably distributed, and are supported and sustained over time. Community engagement is also an important part of complying with government guidance and regulations. Office of Management and Budget Circular A-11 section 280 on Managing Customer Experience and Improving Service Delivery guides agencies to solicit feedback from communities that receive government services, which would include delivery of NBS projects. Additionally, most NBS projects executed by DOI are subject to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements, which mandate meaningful opportunities for public participation. Community engagement can build on inclusion of local or Indigenous Knowledges that may inform the design of the NBS approach. A recent assessment of community engagement in 58 NBS projects across 21 cities found that enhanced engagement was associated with stronger and more diverse social outcomes, including sense of belonging, increased knowledge, and motivation for environmental stewardship (Kiss et al. 2022). Intentional community engagement has played a vital role in the success of many NBS projects (see Box 2).

Box 2

Examples of Successful Community Engagement Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy began its development of a nature-based solutions manual for the South Carolina island by speaking with key stakeholders. Their goals, concerns, and considerations for implementing nature-based solutions in their community informed the manual’s content. A variety of factors informed the selection of nature-based solutions strategies to incorporate in the manual, including aesthetics, as tourism is a significant local industry; maintenance, to ensure projects are easy to sustain; and functionality, including the importance of monitoring project performance.

The Pocomoke River Restoration Partnership, which has restored over 3,000 acres of floodplain along the Pocomoke River in Maryland in the past decade, also depends on effective community engagement. Because much of the land in the floodplain is in private ownership, landowner participation is critical to the project’s success. To streamline the process and avoid overwhelming landowners with information from the multiple partners involved this project, The Nature Conservancy led the process of engaging with interested property owners. They discussed options for land restoration, such as participation in federal programs, conservation easements, and direct collaboration with The Nature Conservancy. Ultimately, 24 landowners joined the project, resulting in the restoration of 75% of the floodplain in the project area.

Effective community engagement and consultation requires careful planning, communication, and adaptability. A guidebook to community engagement for nature-based solutions (Sefton et al. 2023) and a study on assumptions that interfere with effective community engagement (Cross and Chappell 2022) provide best practices and strategies for avoiding common pitfalls of community engagement, summarized as follows:

  • Before beginning community engagement, consider the purpose of the engagement from the project perspective and what benefits and risks participation might create for community members.
  • Transparency is key, so clearly communicate what aspects of the project are open to community input and what decisions have already been made.
  • Collaboration with local groups that have long-term ties to the community, especially if the project organization has limited community interaction, can be valuable. This can also clarify the local regulatory and permitting landscape to be navigated.
  • To facilitate inclusive participation, provide the support needed for all interested community members. For example, one might create materials in different formats and languages, hold meetings on various days and times to accommodate work schedules, offer childcare, and compensate participants for their time.
  • When discussing the project with participants, avoid assuming that the project will only create benefits for the community. Acknowledging the potential for negative outcomes can build trust and enable strategic planning to minimize those impacts.
  • Finally, it is important to recognize that the goals and interests of individual community members may be different than the goals of the project team, and that different stakeholders may have conflicting goals. 

DOI offices and bureaus already engage with communities in many ways, and the following DOI-specific resources can guide outreach or provide more intensive training:

  • The online, interagency course Managing by Network, run by the Partnership and Community Collaboration Academy, focuses on partnership and community collaboration competencies, including building consensus with stakeholders, facilitating meetings, responding to conflict, mitigating risks, and assessing partnership performance.
  • The National Park Service Stewardship Institute publishes case studies and reports related to community outreach, civic engagement, communication, and collaboration.
  • The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution program provides tools for BLM and stakeholders to prevent, manage, or resolve conflict and improve collaborative decision-making and land-use planning.
  • BLM’s Engaging with Communities in Public Land Stewardship toolkit provides guidance, tools, and best practices for partnering with local “friends groups,” community-based organizations led by local volunteers.
  • The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Stakeholder Engagement Wayfinder lays out an interactive framework for managers to engage with stakeholders, including techniques, case studies, and additional resources.
  • An assessment of best practices for the USFWS to create and sustain engagement with urban communities was published in 2016.
  • DOI’s tribal consultation webpage includes up-to-date resources on DOI policies and procedures related to tribal consultation, including information on past and upcoming consultations.