MERLIN - Ladder of stakeholder involvement

In each pilot catchment area the initial, present, and desired level of involvement for each stakeholder was determined on a so-called “ladder of involvement.” Five levels of stakeholder engagement were distinguished: Informing, Consultation, Collaboration, Cooperation and Empowerment. At the same time, a list of actions that were taken with stakeholders to engage them more in project activities and raise their level on the engagement ladder was identified. In the end, the data was collected on nearly 350 stakeholders and over 550 activities aimed at increasing their level of participation/awareness in the MERLIN project.