Progress in the implementation of marine ecosystem-based management - a literature review on successful stakeholder involvement

This systematic review examines stakeholder involvement in marine ecosystem-based management (EBM) over the past 20 years, identifying progress and remaining gaps. We examined (1) Who are EBM stakeholders, which EBM phases involve them and through which institutional settings? (2) Which involvement methods are used, what knowledge is elicited and how is this knowledge incorporated into EBM? (3) How do stakeholders contribute to successful EBM implementation? (4) What types of social values are elicited from stakeholders and how are they used in EBM? A total of 102 peer‑reviewed articles were reviewed from an initial sample of 755. The results indicate that EBM remains predominantly top‑down initiated (48%), typically started by governmental agencies (25%). Research‑driven (34%) and bottom‑up (8%) approaches were less common. Governmental organisations formed the major stakeholder group (80%). Fisheries (51%) and tourism (10%) were the most represented sectors. Stakeholders were commonly involved in system description (58%), goal setting (55%), and strategy development (53%), but less often in monitoring and evaluation (34%). Long-term inclusion and adaptive management remained limited. 18 involvement methods were identified, with workshops (25%), surveys (24%), meetings (20%), interviews (20%), and consultations (19%) being the most common; participatory mapping (6%), participatory monitoring (3%), and negotiations (3%) were rare. Stakeholder knowledge focused mainly on the current state of ecosystems (75%), while direct input on measures and strategies (25%) was often limited to predefined categories rather than open feedback. 40% of studies explicitly demonstrated stakeholder involvement enhancing EBM success. Finally, social values are gaining prominence, particularly social cohesion (20%), cultural values (19%), and emotional connections (11%). • Review covers two decades of marine ecosystem-based management and stakeholder input. • Stakeholder involvement remains top-down regulated or tied to research projects. • Early-phase involvement is common; long-term inclusion and adaptive feedback rare. • 40% of the studies explicitly showed stakeholder involvement enhances EBM success. • 41% of the reviewed publications involved social values produced by stakeholder.