Paper long abstract:

Participation (e.g., consultation, stakeholder involvement, citizen participation) has become a central concept within the field of science and technology studies, especially as a tool to produce, integrate, and manage knowledge. It has been claimed that participation increases the legitimacy of decision-making processes in, for instance, environmental management. However, less explicit attention has been given to the methodologies employed to facilitate these knowledge processes - which usually define inclusion and exclusion strategies. Making use of insights from science and technology studies, this paper builds on participatory action research and participatory monitoring in action and focusses on the port sector in the Dutch Wadden Sea - a World Natural Heritage Site. It aims to explicitly address the participatory methodologies used by our research-team, to facilitate the management of knowledge and develop environmental policies and certificates (i.e. environmental management systems) of ports that are appropriate for the social and ecological context of the Wadden Sea area.