Strategic Stakeholder Engagement and Interaction

 

At the local, regional, and national levels, broad collaboration and interaction are often needed to support project development, decision-making, and operations. Widely accepted solutions require an understanding of – and consideration for –the specific characteristics of the operating environment; the ability to avoid, mitigate, or compensate for adverse impacts; and procedures that are perceived as clear, fair, and just.We help design and implement strategic stakeholder engagement and interaction processes that enable different actors to engage in meaningful and productive collaboration. Well-resourced, high-quality, and timely engagement prevents conflicts and strengthens the foundation for decision-making. We offer support for example for energy and industrial projects, land-use planning, and policy-making processes.

New Habitat Types and Criteria for the Built Environment

Nature in the built environment – parks, yards, restored meadows, and many other green areas – can now be classified in a consistent manner, and its ecological condition can also be assessed using comparable metrics. A recent report from the BOOST and ARVO projects presents a habitat classification…
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Managing a changing planning landscape in Kristiinankaupunki – a new model of interaction for the EIA process

As part of Akordi’s year-long project, funded by TAH and Relex, five living labs were set up, in which models for interaction and conflict management were tested in a real-world environment in collaboration with various stakeholders. One of these living labs was in Kristiinankaupunki in Ostrobothnia,…
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Planning and Facilitation of the “Fisheries for the Future” Workshop

Baltic Sea herring stocks and the herring fisheries have in recent years become a central point of contention in Baltic Sea fisheries policy. Member States' approaches to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommendations for herring quotas have varied, and the public debate…
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Stakeholder engagement on key issues related to the establishment of a producer resposibility organization under the Wastewater Directive

The Ministry of the Environment is currently working on a project to prepare the amendments to national legislation required by the revised EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. One significant change relates to the removal of micropollutants from wastewater and the coverage of the resulting costs…
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Interim review of the 2022–2027 natural resources plan for the Sámi homeland

Akordi facilitated an interim review of the 2022–2027 natural resources plan for the Sámi homeland in January 2026 in Inari.
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Capacity building for the local governance of mineral exploration and mining (CAMI)

Critical mineral exploration and mining are necessities for the green and digital transition. Municipalities can attract, direct, and restrict mining projects in many ways, but high-quality local governance requires successful policy choices and practical know-how on collaborative practices. Building…
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Building capacity for predicting and managing conflicts between wild animals and humans in Finland

The Natural Resources Institute Finland commissioned Akordi to develop conflict management between humans and wild animals in Finland. The work consisted of an initial round of contacts with administrative experts, an invitation-only workshop, and training for the SusiLIFE project. The work was based…
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Developing interaction between Luke and the large carnivore observers

The joint YTYKE project (Developing cooperation between actors to improve the quality and coverage of large carnivore observation data) between the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and the Finnish Wildlife Agency aims to strengthen cooperation between different actors in the production of large…
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Scaling up the work in anticipating and resolving conflicts in the green transition

The TAH Foundation and the RELEX Foundation have joined forces to fund Akordi, a Helsinki based organization specialised in environmental collaboration and conflict resolution. The main objective of this year-long project launched in June 2025 is to roll out and scale tested and validated procedures…
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Forum Virum pilot for Improving Collaboration in Clean Energy Projects

Akordi is participating in a cooperation project between Finland and Estonia, in which we are improving local-level collaboration in clean energy projects. During the summer of 2025, six pilots will address challenges common to Finland and Estonia as part of Forum Virium's FinEst Twins project. In…
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Strategic stakeholder collaboration trainings for green transition projects

In year 2025, Akordi offers six different course implementations that delve into stakeholder collaboration as a strategic element of a clean transition project, the principles of negotiated cooperation and conflict anticipation, and the implementation of strategic interaction in clean transition projects.…
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Planning and facilitating Biodiversea project’s workshop

Akordi will be a facilitator for the Biodiversea LIFE IP workshop on marine restoration in April 2025. The working group preparing the workshop includes Metsähallitus Nature Services, Åbo Akademi University, the Natural Resources Institute Finland and the Ministry of the Environment. The aim of…
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Facilitating Priodiversity LIFE project’s WP3 work

Akordi acts as a facilitator for the Priodiversity LIFE project's WP3 site selection working group in autumn 2024 and early 2025.
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State of play and promotion of the Water protection programme with stakeholders

Akordi provides the Ministry of Environment with an expert service for the organisation of workshops on monitoring and promotion of water and marine protection measures. The aim is to establish a common view with stakeholders of the implementation status of water and marine management plans and to…
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Towards results-based systems to mitigate diffuse emissions and promote biodiversity

Results-based models are an option for improving environmental performance. A prerequisite for their use is that impacts can be measured with sufficient accuracy and at reasonable cost. The preliminary study, carried out jointly by Antti Iho (University of Eastern Finland) and Akordi, examines different indicators that could be used in results-based measures for biodiversity, water protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation, and identifies limiting conditions for measurement.
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Interaction coaching for the Espoo City Planning Department

In the spring and fall of 2024, Akordi trains experts from City Planning Department of Espoo to meet residents, partners and decision-makers. The aim of the interaction coaching is to give Espoo's city planning experts tools for high-quality collaboration and coordinating perspectives. In addition,…
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Implementation and support of the resident interaction of the local detailed plan in Sudentulli Nurmijärvi

Nurmijärvi municipality is preparing a local detailed plan for a data center in the Sudentulli area. The project has great economic and political significance for Nurmijärvi municipality. However, the project also has significant effects due to its size, which will probably cause concern in the neighborhood.…
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Interaction as part of the regional planning of wind power areas in Päijät-Häme

Akordi supports interaction related to wind power areas in the Päijät-Häme regional plan 2060 process.
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Interaction strategy for the Carbon-neutral Helsinki Action Plan

Akordi made an interaction strategy for the extensive impact assessment of the traffic measures in the Carbon-neutral Helsinki Action Plan.
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JustH2Transit

The JustH2Transition consortium project is a research initiative whose goal is to support the transition to a hydrogen-based economy in Finland. The project is financed by the Strategic Research Council and is part of the Energy Solutions as Part of a Just Green Transition, JUST ENERGY, program. University…
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Tampere area vision for local train network

Plans to create a local train network for the Tampere urban area are underway. The need and interest for local trains has been identified in agreements on land use, housing and transport (MAL agreements), and in the Tampere region land use plan 2040.  Public transport development also aids the Tampere…
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Preparing the Jyväskylä Urban Region for the MAL Agreement

In the summer and fall of 2020, the Jyväskylä urban region geared up for the land use, housing and transport (Maankäytön, asumisen ja liikenteen suunnittelukierros MAL) agreement negotiations. Prior to these discussions, municipalities within the urban region, led by the city of Jyväskylä, worked…
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Enhancing Community Engagement and Project Launch for Helsinki’s West Harbor Expansion

Helsinki Port Ltd. is planning to expand the capacity of both the West Harbor, and a tunnel connection towards Länsiväylä. Akordi planned and facilitated two significant events related to the project designed to engage the local community. In September 2022, an informative resident interaction session…
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Development Work for Urban Planning in Nurmijärvi

Akordi assisted the city of Nurmijärvi by identifying and harmonizing diverse perspectives concerning the constraints and possibilities for urban planning development.
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Stakeholder Engagement in the Preparation of Legislation on Environmental Objectives for Water Management and Deviations Therefrom

During 2023, a working group established by the Ministry of the Environment will prepare proposals for legislation on environmental objectives for water management and deviations therefrom. Specifically, these proposals concern the Act on the Organization of Water Management and Marine Management. The…
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A Workshop on the Accessibility Vision in Transportation

In March 2023, the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Traficom organized a stakeholder workshop focusing on the accessibility of transportation and digital services. In the workshop, providers of transportation services, representatives of disability and elderly organizations, users, and government authorities collaboratively deliberated on what would constitute a good vision for the accessibility of the transportation system and what aspects should be taken into consideration in the visioning process. Akordi designed and facilitated the event.
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Annual Seminar of the Water Restoration Network

The eighth annual seminar of the Water System Restoration Network was held as a webinar on the 27th and 28th of October, 2020. The themes of the seminar included fisheries management, migratory fish, watershed-based restoration, and networking.Akordi was involved in conducting public surveys during the seminars and workshops.
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Water Impacts Day

The themes of the 2020 Water Impacts Day were collaboration and working together. Akordi was responsible for the design and implementation of the interactive parts of the event.
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Developing Low-Emission Transportation in Päijät-Häme

In autumn 2019, the Päijät-Häme Regional Council began working to promote low-emission transportation in the region. Akordi served as an expert in communication for the project and was responsible for workshops conducted in collaboration with stakeholders.
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A Workshop on Setting Environmental Objectives and Constraints of Water Management

A working group on environmental objectives and exemptions for water management set up by the Ministry of the Environment prepared a guide for planners in the ELY centres for the third planning period of water management. On February 28, 2020, the Ministry of the Environment invited the members of the monitoring group and the ELY Centres to discuss the development needs of the draft. The event, planned and facilitated by Akordi, aimed to get feedback and support for the finalization of the guide via collaborative discussion and reflection.
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The Päijänne Area

The “Päijänne Branding Project”, carried out by the city of Jyväskylä and Lahti University of Applied Sciences in 2018, promoted cooperation between sustainable and responsible activities in the Päijänne area. The project also explored the interest of regional operators in applying for UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status. In the project's final workshop, led by Akordi, the outcomes of the project's events and investigations were reviewed, and options were considered for the next steps.
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Mid-Term Review of 2022 National Climate Change Adaptation Plan

The National Climate Change Adaptation Plan's mid-term evaluation wrapped up in April 2019. The aim was to pinpoint which areas and industries needed extra attention in the plan's later stages leading up to 2022. Akordi teamed up with Tyrsky-Konsultointi Oy to conduct an external examination of stakeholder…
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Update of the Wolf Population Management Plan

The plan for managing Finland's wolf population is a tool aimed at reconciling the needs of wolves and wolf conservation with those of the people living and working in wolf territories. The plan update started in fall 2018, with Akordi facilitating discussions in seven regional stakeholder events involving…
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Social Acceptance of Wind Power

The share of electricity generated from wind power has grown rapidly in recent decades, both in Europe and globally. Although wind power is a widely accepted form of energy production, local projects are increasingly facing opposition in Finland. In a project that ended in November 2018, Akordi developed new tools to strengthen the social acceptability and social license to operate of wind power in cooperation with wind industry actors and stakeholders.
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Aviapolis Stakeholder Workshops

Aviapolis is a new urban center in Vantaa, to be built next to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. In the City of Vantaa's Aviapolis project, stakeholder workshops were organized to outline potential directions for future development of the area together with international partners and local stakeholders. Akordi was responsible for facilitating the workshops in early 2019.
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The Dicstrict Vision for Herttoniemi

In the spring and summer of 2018, the Herttoniemi district (comprising Western Herttoniemi, Herttoniemenranta, and Roihuvuori) developed its own vision, describing the shared aspirations of various stakeholders in the district for its future and generating ideas on how to achieve this envisioned future. Throughout the process, directions for development of the area were jointly identified, and concrete opportunities for constructive collaboration were explored. The vision process enabled citizens to participate in the long-term planning of their surrounding environment and work together with planning professionals, as well as introducing a new collaborative approach to urban development.
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