Saturday, 12 November 2016

Engage and Integrate different perspectives

Engage and Integrate different perspectives

The second strategy used in managing socio-ecological systems (SES) is to engage and integrate the various perspectives of stakeholders involved in the SES. Biggs, et al. (2015) mention that SES can be “better understood, uncertainty gauged and problem solving enhanced” by including a variety of views on a problem. Furthermore, engaging stakeholders builds trust which helps to “increase the probability of reaching and implementing management decisions in the face of uncertainty” (Biggs, et al., 2015). However, I think it also needs to be considered that the influx of views is also a chance for conflict. Which is why the second part, the “integration of different perspectives maybe more important.
One method proposed by Biggs, et al. (2015) is the use of scenario planning in getting stakeholders to agree. The example used by Biggs is the Mont Fleur scenarios in South Africa where black and white community leaders of South Africa were brought together to consider possible scenarios which they could agree upon.
I thought one good example of this in Singapore’s SES is the Cross Island Line that may cross over multiple green areas such as the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Area (The Straits Times, 2016). The plans involve two alignments; one that goes through the underground of the nature reserve and a second which skirts around the nature reserve but adds more overall traveling time and may require land reacquisition (Channel NewsAsia, 2016).
This is an issue because such huge underground works could disrupt the natural ecosystems in those location. Especially for the Central Catchment Area which is amongst the biggest water bodies in Singapore. Such a disruption could potentially affect the water supply of Singapore negatively.
Also, the line passes through built up areas which has led to some clamour by residents worried about how the line would affect their lives (Lim, 2016). But at the same time, the line is supposed to drastically reduce the traveling time of passengers using the rail system in Singapore. (Channel NewsAsia, 2016).
Whilst this issue isn’t strictly limited to lakes and rivers, I thought it is a really prominent problem due to it cutting across both social and environmental grounds. We can see various stakeholders involved in this problem with the environmentalists pushing for the longer route but the residents whom may be affected pushing back against such plans. And on another side we can see the commuters who may prefer a shorter traveling time. Thus it’s not just a purely environmental vs developmental problem but also a decision between the needs of two groups in Singapore; the commuters vs the residents.
What the authorities have done so far seems to revolve around gathering more inputs from various stakeholders concerned with Cross Island Line. Not only have they taken into account route suggestions by the Nature Society (Chua, 2013), a global environmental consultancy was hired to assess the environmental impact of the line (Chew, 2016). Thus not only are the voices on the ground heard but also the opinions of experts.
However, there has been little discussion on the social aspect of the line. Which goes to show more could be done to integrate the opinions of the residents affected by the proposed alignments. But more difficult are the commuters because they are a large and diverse group. Thus integrating their opinions might be more costly than the other stakeholders.
In conclusion, integrating stakeholder perspectives is useful for developing strategies in managing complex SES.

Bibliography

Biggs, R. O., Rhode, C., Archibald, S., Kuene, L. M., Mutanaga, S. S., Nkuha, N., . . . Phadima, L. J. (2015). Strategies for managing complex social-ecological systems in the face of uncertainty: examples from South Africa and beyond. Ecology and Society.
Channel NewsAsia. (07 Mar, 2016). Cross Island Line could save commuters 40 minutes: LTA chief. Retrieved from Channel News Asia: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cross-island-line-could/2577450.html
Chew, H. M. (22 Feb, 2016). Controversy over Cross Island Line: 12 questions about the MRT line answered. Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/controversy-over-cross-island-line-12-questions-about-the-mrt-line-answered
Chua, G. (19 Jul, 2013). Nature Society suggests different route for Cross Island MRT line. Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nature-society-suggests-different-route-for-cross-island-mrt-line
Lim, A. (21 Feb, 2016). Cross Island Line sparks residents' fears. Retrieved from The Straits Times: From The Straits Times Archives: All you need to know about the Cross Island Line

The Straits Times. (22 Feb, 2016). From The Straits Times Archives: All you need to know about the Cross Island Line. Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/from-the-straits-times-archives-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-cross-island-line

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