Additional tools

• 
• 
• 

‘Stakeholders’ is a commonly used word but its meaning is not always clear: it means different things to different people, and it is not easily translated into some languages. In the context of the CorMan project, the term ‘stakeholders’ is taken to mean (a) people who are affected (either positively of negatively by cormorant-fish-fishery conflicts or associated issues, and (b) people who can influence (either positively or negatively) the outcome or end result of a particular process.

The CorMan project has established contacts with a number of key European stakeholder groups through a Stakeholders’ Liaison Group (SLG). The SLG includes the main stakeholders’ organisations which most have an interest in cormorants and their impacts on fisheries, fish stocks, recreational angling and aquaculture.

What does the Stakeholders´ Liaison Group do?

The main aim of the SLG is to ease communication and support information exchange with and among the main stakeholder organisations in Europe. Stakeholders contribute to CorMan by participating in the SLG and through direct contact between the project and stakeholders’ organisations.

The major functions of the Stakeholders’ Liaison Group are:

• To understand the scope of this project, its aims and its methods of working, and to feed into the project its opinions and thoughts whilst also communicating information on the project (e.g. founding aims, principles of working, progress) to their own colleagues.
• To participate in discussions of selected specific questions/topics related to the conflicts between cormorants and fisheries/aquaculture/angling.
• To guide the consortium in better understanding of the issues involved behind the conflicts associated with cormorants and the various specialist and community interests.
• To help guide the project in the development of the EU Cormorant Platform to ensure effective transfer of materials to stakeholders and other users of the website.

Stakeholders are all aware:

• That discussions in which they are involved are part of the project’s information-gathering programme and that relevant contextural notes and descriptions/comments may later be attached to their discussion contributions by the project team.
• That summaries of certain discussions and conclusions (including those upon which not all parties necessarily agree) will be passed to the EU Cormorant Platform in a balanced way.
• That all stakeholders’ organisations will have adequate opportunities to present ideas and inspire the initiatives undertaken during the project period.

Who is the Stakeholders´ Liaison Group?

The Stakeholders’ Liaison Group currently comprises members from the following organisations:

• BirdLife International
• COPA – COGECA
• The European Anglers Aliance (EAA)
• The European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC)
• Europêche
• The Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU (FACE)
• Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP)
• The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)
• An independent Fisheries Management Consultant from the UK
• An ad hoc secretary
• A representative from the European Commission/DG Environment
• An independent neutral facilitator (Mind the Gap)
• The two project leaders from Aarhus University, Denmark and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK

As well as these members, selected specialists may be invited to inform the SLG about certain matters relevant for the issues, questions and topics planned that arise during the life of the CorMan project.The SLG’s work is facilitated through preparation by the project leaders and the assistance of a professional independent facilitator engaged by CorMan.

How does the SLG work?

The Stakeholders’ Liaison Group have had two meetings in the first year of CorMan and it is planned to have one meeting in 2012 and one in 2013. Discussion takes place both at these face-to-face meetings and through email. Having formed the SLG the project aims to create a positive atmosphere where views can be exchanged and possible solutions can be discussed. It is the intention that all parties support the project’s attempt to improve dissemination of relevant information about cormorants, conflicts related to cormorants, fish and fisheries, and existing/potential solutions for conflicts. Members of the SLG have contributed with relevant material to the present EU Cormorant Platform.

Past and future SLG meetings

The first SLG meeting took place in Denmark during 4-6th April 2011. Details are available in the Minutes of this meeting. The second SLG meeting took place in the UK during 24-26th October 2011 (for details see Meeting report). The third SLG meeting is planned for the UK during 30th May–1st June 2012.