In this chapter, part of the research carried out within the SECOA project
(www.projectsecoa.eu) is presented. Attention is devoted to methods and tools used for
supporting the participatory process in a case of environmental conflict related to the definition
of boundaries of a coastal protected area: the Costa Teatina National Park, in Abruzzo, central
Italy. The Costa Teatina National Park was established by the National Law 93/2001. Its territory
includes eight southern Abruzzo municipalities and covers a stretch of coastline of approximately
60 km. It is a coastal protected area, which incorporates land but not sea, characterized by the
presence of important cultural and natural assets. The Italian Ministry of Environment (1998)
defines the area as “winding and varied, with the alternation of sandy and gravel beaches, cliffs,
river mouths, areas rich in indigenous vegetation and cultivated lands (mainly olives), dunes and
forest trees”. The park boundaries were not defined by the law that set it up, and their
determination has been postponed to a later stage of territorial negotiation that has not ended yet
(Montanari and Staniscia, 2013). The definition of the park boundaries, indeed, has resulted in an
intense debate between citizens and interest groups who believe that environmental protection
does not conflict with economic growth and those who believe the opposite. That is why the
process is still in act and a solution is far from being reached. In this chapter, the methodology
and the tools used to involve the general public in active participation in decision making and to
support institutional players in conflict mitigation will be presented. Those tools have also proven
to be effective in the dissemination of information and transfer of knowledge. Results obtained
through the use of each instrument will not be presented here since this falls outside the purpose
of the present essay. The chapter is organized as follows: in the first section the importance of the
theme of citizen participation in decision making will be highlighted; the focus will be on
participation in the processes of ICZM, relevant to the management of coastal protected areas. In
the second section a review of the most commonly used methods in social research is presented;
advantages and disadvantages of each of them will be highlighted. In particular, the history and
the evolution of the Delphi method and its derivatives are discussed; focus will be on the
dissemination value of the logic underlying such iterative methods. In the third section the tools
used in the case of the Costa Teatina National Park will be presented; strengths and weaknesses
will be highlighted and proposals for their improvement will be advanced. Discussion and
conclusions follow
