Note 3

Identification of rights-holders and other stakeholders, and engagement tools

About

Purpose and Scope Context Notes Case Studies Resources

The objective of the Guidance is to provide easy-to-understand and user-friendly information on wind energy projects and World Heritage protection and management, and to highlight processes and tools for overcoming potential challenges that may arise. The Guidance aims to assist in the planning of wind energy projects while providing insights to explore options for proactive conservation for World Heritage site managers and and heritage protection authorities.The core of the Guidance includes four main parts

About the Guidance
World Heritage Essentials

History and purpose of the Convention How does the Convention work? Decision-making and governing The World Heritage List Spatial boundaries of World Heritage properties and their importance for protection and management

This part of the guidance is designed to introduce basic World Heritage concepts to a non-specialist audience. The implementation of the World Heritage Convention on the national level can be challenging for States Parties.

The following text explains the basics of the Convention to better understand its spirit and underlying principles. It further outlines good practices that assist complying with recommended international conservation standards to fully deploy the effectiveness of the Convention and to achieve its ultimate goals. The described indications aim to help readers understand the purpose of requirements described in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, and to act accordingly constructively and proactively.

Word Heritage Essentials
Wind Energy Essentials

What is renewable energy? What is wind energy? How is energy generated by the wind? Components of wind energy infrastructure Potential impacts of wind energy projects on World Heritage Siting and design of wind energy farms Wind energy life cycle

This part of the Guidance offers an overview of wind energy related information primarily for heritage practitioners and decision-makers not familiar with this field.

A brief overview of the main technical features and processes behind wind energy planning will allow a more effective understanding of their potential impacts on World Heritage and catalyse more efficient dialogue between stakeholders to seek solutions. In addition, this section approaches this field with a focus on World Heritage matters, highlighting sensitive conservation issues.

Wind Energy Essentials
Protecting World Heritage

Understanding World Heritage properties and sharing information Strengthening World Heritage protection in policies and legal frameworks Decision-making and governing Engaging in early planning for wind energy infrastructures Proactive conservation actions – enhancing management in view of the energy transition

National strategies and policies for the transition to renewable energy and initiatives for decarbonization are often based on the strategic principles and guidelines set in international agreements and directives. This is, for example, the case in the European Union policies, which have direct influence on national planning. However, the implementation of international agreements or directives, such as those of the EU, relating to renewable energy is often not cross-checked and aligned with national policies and regulations protecting natural and cultural heritage, including World Heritage properties. It is similarly important that national policies, programmes, and plans, as well as the accompanying national legal frameworks, give due consideration to heritage protection and ensure full protection of World Heritage properties. In addition to the establishment of an appropriate legal framework, a proactive approach to site management could effectively supplement national legal tools and support and strengthen protection measures ensuring the preservation of World Heritage properties for future generations.

Protecting World Heritage during the Energy Transition
Impacts of Wind Energy Projects

Why is it important to assess the impacts of wind energy projects in a World Heritage context? Elements of impact assessment Participation of rights-holders and other stakeholders in an impact assessment process Types of impact assessments Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) Step-by-step Potential impacts of wind energy projects What should be considered before beginning an ESIA? Checklists

This part of the Guidance provides heritage and impact assessment practitioners, site managers and heritage institutions an overview of the process for assessing the impacts of wind energy projects associated with World Heritage properties. The information is intended to assist actors responsible for commissioning and preparation such impact assessments and to support decision-makers.

Impacts of wind energy projects and their assessment

Identification of rights-holders and other stakeholders

Identifying rights-holders and other stakeholders is a key activity to better understand the relationship between communities and individuals with a property. The identification of rights-holders and other stakeholders is fundamental for the effective management and conservation of World Heritage properties and for the development of a participated and inclusive impact assessment process.

It is fundamental to understand the connections stakeholders have to a heritage site, and to also grasp the relationships and dynamics between different rights-holders and stakeholder-groups to ensure the establishment of adequate means of empowerment, engagement and/or consultation.

The identification of rights-holders and other stakeholders consists of addressing two sets of questions, one in relation to the property and a second one in relation to the proposed wind energy project:

1) Identify rights-holders and other stakeholders in relation to a World Heritage property:

Who are the people, and which are the communities, institutions and groups that have rights and/or other interest in the World Heritage property?
What is their role in relation to the property and which dynamics could be identified in relation to them that have relevance to the property?
Who are potential beneficiaries in relation to the World Heritage property?
Who has decision-making power and who can influence decision-making?

2) Identify stakeholders in relation to the proposed wind energy project:

Who are the people, and which are the communities, institutions and groups that have an interest in the proposed wind energy project?
What is their role in relation to the proposed project?
Who are the potential beneficiaries from the wind energy project?
Who has decision-making power and who can influence decision-making?
Who might be negatively or positively impacted by the wind energy project?

This information can later be translated into a stakeholder overview, be it a simple table, map, or a more complex visualization (mind-map, Venn diagram, stakeholder circle, design thinking method, etc.), which must then be analysed to decide the appropriate ways of working with individuals and groups at each stage of the impact assessment.

Engagement tools

The listed (non-exhaustive) tools for consultation and engagement with local communities, right-holders and other stakeholders are meant to provide inspiration for the processes related to impact assessments for wind energy projects but are also useful for developing and implementing the protection and management needs of World Heritage properties. Please note that some methods are more informative while others strive for active participations, the identification of the right method must be based on the individual rights-holder/stakeholder and the phase in the assessment.

Offline engagement:

Focus groups and workshops;
Outreach and awareness raising events;
Questionnaires, surveys and opinion research;
Individual or group interviews;
Live laboratories;
Comment walls placed in public spaces;
Media outreach;
Ethnographical studies;

Online engagement:

Digital platforms and spaces created to share information and project documents;
Online questionnaires, surveys and opinion research;
Interviews (by email or telephone);
Virtual interactive maps where rights-holders and stakeholders can drop pins, comment and actively interact with the map;
Virtual whiteboard where people can post comments;
Online workshops, meetings and videoconferences;
Virtual polls;
3D virtual engagement environments (plans, visualizations, etc);
Media outreach;