Descriptive Fields
Stakeholder involvement played a central role in the OPTAIN project, ensuring that the modelling and optimisation of Natural Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRM) were grounded in local knowledge and realistic farming conditions. Rather than supporting real-world deployment, stakeholder engagement contributed to defining modelling assumptions, selecting relevant measures, identifying suitable locations within catchments, and validating performance indicators.
Through structured interaction processes, particularly within the Multi-Actor Reference Groups (MARGs), local expertise was integrated into scenario development and optimisation analyses. This participatory approach strengthened the credibility and contextual relevance of the modelling results while maintaining the project’s analytical focus.
The following sections explain how local knowledge was incorporated and how stakeholder collaboration supported the evaluation of alternative NSWRM portfolios within the modelling framework.