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Management

INTRODUCTION

For quite some time, there have been calls from the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea area for better coordinated and more efficient and effective information and education methods. The authorities make an effort to communicate well with the local public because adequate communication contributes to:

• a better quality in decision making;
• more commitment in decision making due to contacts with interested parties;
• a greater input of creativity from the public;
• more understanding and/or public support for the policy;
• a better view on the result and effects of the policy.

The Wadden Sea authorities have made agreements on the methods of communication. These agreements were laid down in the Framework Plan "Communication of the Government about the Wadden Sea"(Kaderplan Communicatie Overheden Waddenzee, KCOW). The objective of the Framework Plan is defined as follows:

• the Wadden Sea authorities will communicate according to the professional methods that are laid down in the Framework Plan and that are tuned to the expectations of the public.

By announcing these methods in public, the parties concerned are informed on what they may and can expect from the government. By means of interviews and workshops the people and organizations in the Wadden Sea area are actively involved in the defining of the Framework Plan.

GOVERNMENTAL COMMUNICATION IN GENERAL

Communication on the Wadden Sea area can be divided into

• policy communication:
  involving parties concerned in development and implementation of policy and plans;
• governmental communication:
  informing interested parties on (established) policy and management;
• environmental education:
  organizing learning processes covering the values of the Wadden Sea area.

These types of communication are closely related. Adequate communication must meet a number of general quality requirements; it must:
be open and honest - give confidence;
be clear - use clear language;
motivate the decisions well - lead to commitment at an early stage.

In order to communicate well, the government keeps to a number of general rules of conduct:

• At the start of a communication activity, the interested parties are listed. The listing of the social surroundings gives information on the relations 'in the field';
• The government confers with the parties concerned or their interest groups about the question of when, how and through which media it is best to communicate with them. They are also asked what information they need;
• The various authorities keep each other informed about their communication activities.

At de Groot

POLICY COMMUNICATION

Management communication

The aim of this type of communication is the development of a balanced policy by the government that will be accepted by the public. It is important to involve the interested parties in the development of a policy and to use their ideas and creativity in order to jointly try and solve possible problems. Management communication is not only relevant in the development of a new policy; input of third parties is also needed in the implementation and evaluation of the policy as a form of feedback from the actual practice.

As to management communication, the joint authorities have agreed upon the following working method:

• to make clear to the public who will and who will not participate in the communication process. To indicate what will and what will not be discussed;
• to mention beforehand the objectives and margins (preconditions);
• to enable the participants to overcome possible disadvantages in knowledge, time and level of provisions;
• to make time and money available for adequate communication;
• to clearly indicate roles and competencies;
• to make clear to the participants that there is a difference between taking part and having things one's own way.

GOVERNMENTAL INFORMATION

Governmental information applies to government policy that is more or less 'fixed' and cannot or does not need to be influenced. It is a one-way information process covering the established policy. The objective of governmental information is to inform those interested as adequately as possible on governmental plans, laws and regulations and their consequences.

The following working method is required:

• Every authority that wishes to bring information out 'in the open' will follow a special scheme step by step. This scheme is designed to create more coherence between their own information policy and that of other authorities;
• The authority concerned will set its objectives for the intended governmental information, from which proposals regarding the resources, timing, etc. will follow.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Environmental education is of vital importance in order to achieve the government's objectives because:

• It is a learning process with a long-term effect: 'learn young, learn fair';
• Education has had positive effects upon the way of thinking and acting of the target groups;
• There is an elaborate network of organizations, volunteers and professionals in the Wadden Sea area. The authorities can use this network for all kinds of communication, on the condition of mutual advantage.

The government's working method with regard to environmental education is defined as follows:

• The government creates the conditions for adequate education and stimulates and supports structural changes and quality improvement;
• The State will not structurally contribute to the exploitation of organizations or visitor centers; in some cases provinces and local authorities will;
• The government will make use of the organizations and visitor centers as adequately as possible in their policy communication methods and their supplying of information, and is prepared to pay for this on a contract basis.

At de Groot

Authors address:

At de Groot

Min. Landbouw Natuurbeheer en Visserij

Directie Noord

Postbus 30032

NL - 9700 RM Groningen

e-mail: a.t.de.groot@lnvn.agro.nl