ateam - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

ATEAM final report Section 5 and 6 (2001-2004) 43
from different sectors and 18 ATEAM researchers and one observer. The workshop consisted of two
and a half days of presentation, discussion and reviewing. It was embraced by a half-day pre- and a one
day post-meeting without stakeholder participation. The pre-meeting served as preparation for the first
stakeholder contact by reviewing the common strategy and dealing with last moment questions. The
post-meeting was used to review the process, agree on a future strategy and to discuss general ATEAM
issues.
After a general introduction to the ATEAM approach the results of preliminary analyses on ecosystem
services for the different sectors (e.g. carbon storage, crop yield, wood production, biodiversity) were
presented to illustrate possible outcomes of the project. Insights in the capabilities and limitations of
ATEAM’s models, data and scenarios were given in short presentations by ATEAM researchers per
sector. Initial assessments of the vulnerability of certain ecosystem services to global change were
shown. The following plenary discussions and break-out sessions then aimed to identify the specific
needs of the stakeholders. The ATEAM enquired about the stakeholders’ current use of environmentalchange
information and the format and scale of indicators that are frequently used in their sector.
This first stakeholder workshop initiated the dialogue process by mutual introduction and confidence
building. Synergies have been created and enthusiasm over the dialogue has been built amongst
partners and stakeholder alike. All nine stakeholders who participated declared that they were willing to
co-operate with ATEAM over the longer term, and most of them did. The result of this first meeting was
a preliminary list of indicators for ecosystem services that are relevant to the stakeholders. The list was
characterised as preliminary, due to the small size of this first group of stakeholders. In the course of the
stakeholder process the group was be enlarged and the list was be updated and expanded.
The stakeholder dialogue revealed the importance of several indicators that had not been pre-selected
by us, such as bio-fuel production potential for stakeholders from the agricultural and forestry sector
alike. Furthermore the suitability of crop and wood species and the necessity of management changes
to adapt to global change were in the centre of attention for a successful interaction between the
ATEAM scientists and stakeholders.
Conclusions from this first workshop on the dialogue process were that ATEAM should aim to include
less academics and more environment resource managers and decision makers. Finally, we realised
the importance of an active moderator to facilitate communication between stakeholders and scientists.
The 2 nd Stakeholder Workshop, September 2002, Potsdam, Germany
The workshop was attended by 22 stakeholders from a larger contact database, 18 ATEAMers and one
observer. Specific aims of this workshop were to present and discuss the ATEAM land use scenarios,
ecosystem modelling methods and indicators, as well as sectoral adaptive capacity to global change. As
before, ATEAMers had an internal meeting prior to the event to finalise preparation and harmonise the
communication strategy.
Participants evaluated and discussed the ATEAM land-use scenarios and the vulnerability mapping
methodology of the project, as well as the usefulness of preliminary model indicators. The overall
response of stakeholders was a positive, stimulating and encouraging one. Specific stakeholder
concerns were isolated and when possible were addressed within the project. Participating ATEAMers
emphasised how collaboration and discussion with stakeholder had been beneficial and interesting.
Wider discussions on sectoral and European vulnerability to global change and possible adaptation took
place, as well as the identification of the most pressing research issues in ecological modelling and
vulnerability assessment.
These issues were named as follows:
the development of appropriate linkages of state-of-the-art land use scenarios and ecological
modelling to management schemes, legal frameworks, cost-effectiveness, rural development and
rural uses;