Q: Why is it important to involve stakeholders in the National Assessment?

A: Stakeholder involvement is a critical part of the assessment process in order to: 1) ensure relevancy of the research effort; 2) promote understanding and willingness to apply new knowledge of climate change consequences; 3) build resiliency and enhance coping capabilities; and 4) support capacity building.

Q: What does it mean to have true stakeholder involvement?

A: Stakeholder involvement promotes relevancy and information exchange while building resiliency and capacity. It also encourages that the National Assessment process be grounded in dialogues at the regional/local level between regional experts and regional stakeholders, including: farmers, ranchers, local business people, local government leaders, local interest groups, and citizens at large.

• Relevancy is achieved because the on-going dialogue allows stakeholders to identify the most significant societal, environmental, and economic challenges facing state and local decision-makers and citizens at the regional scale. This dialogue then becomes "science in the service of society" when it begins to shape the research direction.
• The process of information exchange raises the level of awareness and understanding of climate change issues. However, there are many stages from the first level of awareness to the application of new information through action. By developing trust through an informative two-way exchange between and among stakeholders, scientists, and decision-makers, many of those necessary steps can be taken.
• Building resiliency includes encouraging stakeholders to consider opportunities around and vulnerabilities to possible impacts of climate change and increased variability. It also means engendering a level of understanding and trust that encourages the use of new and emerging information in the decision-making and management processes. And finally, when one considers the future and that human activities are the chief causes of many of the climate changes we already observe, we must empower individuals and society as a whole to make better, more environmentally friendly decisions.
• Capacity building is a natural outcome of involving a wide range of participants in an evolving assessment process. Participation of those not traditionally engaged encourages the development of analytical and process-oriented habits in decision-making.

Q: What mechanisms have been employed to encourage stakeholder involvement?

A: Stakeholder involvement in the regional and the sectoral activities is being encouraged in multiple ways (many of which are described in detail in this issue of Acclimations):

• team membership;
• interactive workshops to solicit inputs or generate dialog;
• knowledge transfers/two-way communications; and
• review of materials;

These two-way communications are involving participants from and through: community programs; native organizations; government agencies (local, state, regional, tribal, federal); industry; educational institutions (formal and informal); the media (radio, TV, newspapers); electronic media (websites, email); publications (peer-reviewed, popular, newsletters); and trade organizations.