Editor’s choice
SEI researchers and Corpocaldas address the challenges of multi-stakeholder participation in watershed management. This paper explores using a Serious Game (SG) to coproduce a watershed management plan for the Campoalegre River basin in Colombia. The SG enhances collaboration among local actors and decision-makers, leading to a deeper understanding of the basin and more effective stakeholder engagement.
Multi-stakeholder participation processes in watershed management face challenges due to limited monitoring and baseline data, resulting in a lack of awareness among stakeholders about the current state of the watershed. This knowledge gap often leads to conflicts of interest, wherein the broader impacts of individual decisions are overlooked. To overcome these limitations, this paper explores the design and implementation of a Serious Game (SG) aimed at coproducing a watershed management plan at the basin scale within the specific context of the Campoalegre River basin in Colombia.
By providing an interactive platform, the SG facilitates collaboration between local actors, who may be unfamiliar with existing watershed plans, and decision-makers. The goal is to create a participatory space where stakeholders can comprehend the watershed management plan structure and prioritize actions based on various climatic, social, and economic conditions.
Following the application of the SG, stakeholders demonstrated an improved understanding of the basin, fostering increased participation, open debate, and the proposal of actions. These outcomes serve as valuable inputs for the implementation of water management planning policies, showcasing the potential of SGs in bridging knowledge gaps, and fostering effective multi-stakeholder engagement.
If you want to see how a serious game looks, please check here the one created for the watershed management plan of the Campoalegre River basin (only available in Spanish).
Initiative / Our work aims to transform current decision making around access to water, the greatest risk to global prosperity, and addressing the SDGs.
Feature / SEI uses a tool known as serious games to test water management policies and promote communication among local communities.
Meet SEI / Learn how Camilo González integrates AI to revolutionize water management research at SEI Latin America.
Perspective / Research from SEI and ACTO shows how a new declaration can be strengthened to protect this tropical rainforest, in South America and beyond.
Design and development by Soapbox.
