Creating a Stakeholder Table, Identifying Hidden Stakeholders, and Exploring Relational Interventions for the Bayano Region of Panama

Abstract

The Bayano region, in Panama, has been linked to many different stakeholders who were or are influenced by the Bayano dam, which was completed in 1976 and flooded a large area. Stakeholder tables are a good way of exploring the views of stakeholders and their relationships. They can also help in identifying hidden stakeholders. Hidden stakeholders refer to stakeholders who use or are impacted by regions or events, but are generally ignored. A primary goal of this research is to allow a better understanding of the region. In this study, several sources, including discussions with community members and workshop results, were used to develop a stakeholder table for the Bayano region. Stakeholders include displaced Guna and Embera Indigenous communities. In order to identify hidden stakeholders, I applied the table to relevant court cases and agreements, with hidden stakeholders being those who were not addressed in these documents. Hidden stakeholders include Indigenous individuals who raise cattle or are involved in tree felling, along with tourism industries. Using some follow-up workshops to gauge views on potential interventions, along with a relational values approach, which focuses on relationships with components such as nature, I highlight sustainable projects and methods that can target multiple hidden stakeholders at the same time. As such, another goal was to illustrate potential, sustainable projects that would include many hidden stakeholders. In the end, this research helps understand the stakeholders in the Bayano region and the results can also help other researchers involved in the region and beyond.