Multistakeholder platforms for natural resource governance: lessons from eight landscape-level cases

JOURNAL ARTICLE | 2022

Multistakeholder platforms (MSPs) are the subject of increasing attention and investment in the domain of collaborative natural resource governance, yet evidence-based guidance remains slim on policy and investment priorities to leverage the MSP approach. We draw on a comparative analysis of eight landscape-level MSPs that span seven countries and represent a diversity of resource systems including forests, rangelands, and multiuse agricultural landscapes. Applying an adapted social-ecological systems framework, our synthesis distills lessons addressing: (1) how to design an MSP in relation to the governance context; (2) how to implement inclusive processes that address power inequities; and (3) how to support adaptive learning to expand the MSP’s influence over time.