How do I identify stakeholders?

A stakeholder analysis should identify the type of roles and involvement stakeholders might have in the Water Fund. For instance, some examples of different roles stakeholders might play include:

• Member of the Water Fund

  This type of stakeholder can be a permanent supporter of the water fund by being a water fund board member. In this case, the stakeholder will participate in approving water fund strategic documents and will provide financial support to the water fund. Some examples of stakeholders that are board members include: local water utilities, NGOs, private companies (e.g. beverage, food, etc.), local environmental agencies, and universities.

• Collaboration and Coordination

  This typically includes stakeholders that will not be members of the water fund, but that will be important stakeholders in the region in terms of supporting land use planning, development planning, and environmental regulation with whom the water fund must ultimately coordinate and seek collaboration. For instance, the Ministry of Environment, water agencies, and/or local governments.

• Upstream Stakeholders

  These are typically stakeholders that live in the watershed and that will be affected when the Water Fund implements activities on the ground. It is important to have a good understanding of the type of stakeholders living in the upper watershed and/or owning land in the upper watershed, as these are typically the stakeholders you will need to directly engage with to implement interventions on the ground. These stakeholders may include local communities; indigenous communities; small, medium and large landowners; public land owners (e.g. park agencies, local governments); or local water associations. It is very important that this group of stakeholders is identified early, as they may need to be informed and consulted before the water fund can move forward (see document on social safeguards below).

• Technical Experts

  This type of stakeholder typically includes institutions and individuals that hold detailed technical knowledge of the study area and that have plans or interests in continuing doing studies and research in the area. This type of stakeholder can play a key role in providing technical support to the water fund, and can be either part of the “technical advisory committee” of the Water Fund, or eventually can be contractors of the Water Fund.

• NGOs and/or Organizations that implement conservation work on the ground

  This type of stakeholder typically includes organizations that are already implementing conservation actions on the ground, or that have a specific area of expertise (e.g. reforestation implementation). These can be very important stakeholders that the water fund can contract or collaborate with in the future for implementation of activities on the ground.

• Development Agencies and Philanthropic Organizations

  This type of stakeholder typically emerges if the study area is a priority for development agencies (e.g. USAID, IDB, World Bank, European Union) or a particular donor (e.g. MacArthur Foundation, Moore Foundation). In these cases, such stakeholders can be important to identify and target when building financial support for a Water Fund.

• Non-favorable Stakeholders

  It is important to identify any stakeholder that may oppose or criticize the Water Fund.. A strategy should be developed to reduce any opposition or risks that these stakeholders may pose.