MARGov project from the stakeholders’ perspectives: evaluating the building process of a collaborative governance model for environmental protection area in the metropolitan area of Lisbon (Portugal)

Abstract

The perception of value on participating at collaborative initiatives – a requirement for stakeholder’ engagement – is crucial for the action’s success and continuation. Aiming to know the stakeholders’ evaluation regarding the MARGov Project, content analysis was applied on texts from 17 interviews. The matrix crossing thematic categories and evaluative categories - those inspired by SWOT Analysis - has revealed the participants’ perceptions about the main aspects of the Project itself (strengths and weaknesses) and aspects of context (opportunities and threats). Although negative evaluations prevail in the texts, the context elements are the most reproved by the interviewees. Otherwise, the characteristic of the Project has received mostly positive evaluations. Continued participants’ engagement and the unfolding actions of MARGov Project stand for the success of the initiative in co-building a collaborative governance model for areas of permanent environmental protection, unprecedented in Portugal. 

Keywords: Social participation; sustainability; stakeholder assessment; MARGov; SWOT.