Stakeholders, Social Capital, and Sustainability

Universities seek new institutional models to effectively engage with the grand challenges of sustainability. At the University of Washington College of the Environment, we have observed that our successful sustainability initiatives are grounded in long-term, trusted relationships with stakeholders.  These relationships are far from static and stewarding partnerships in context of complex environmental issues can be challenging.  To explore this topic more fully, I will describe how the challenge to global sustainability posed by ocean acidification is being tackled in the Pacific Northwest in the context of a longer history of collaboration in defining problems and seeking solutions. 

UW’s traction on the complex issue of ocean acidification is based on three factors.  First, the perceived credibility of UW scientists is highly dependent on long-term productive partnerships between scientists and user communities.  For example, UW scientists have worked with shellfish growers for over a decade to pioneer hatchery technologies, improve genetic stocks, and mitigate pathogen threats.  Second, science-oriented boundary organizations representing the interests and values of industry groups, governmental agencies, tribes and citizens, and have a history of collaboration in the Pacific Northwest (e.g., Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association, Puget Sound Partnership). Third, a regional culture of open science has been facilitated by federal investments in environmental monitoring programs coupled with efforts to make data products accessible (e.g., Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems).  

Two challenges loom as we move forward, both with respect to ocean acidification and sustainability issues more generally.  Will the broad coalition of people and groups working on this issue be able to sustain engagement over the time it may take to create sustainable solutions at both local and global scales, especially in the context of competing priorities and stress on fiscal resources?  And, for universities in particular, are we willing to change our culture and reward systems to recognize the value of public engagement as a critical element of a scientist’s work, so that the trusting relationships among scientists and stakeholders that is crucial to the success of sustainability efforts may be established?