Stakeholder participation is a key theme for Government and accumulating experience of coastal management planning suggests that the process of designing and implementing a plan, and the consultation that goes with it, is one of the most effective ways of changing recreational behaviour and obtaining compliance with the eventual plan.

User involvement and peer pressure can often be far more effective compliance measures in many areas. Where voluntary measures have been applied, the measures have involved relatively small changes to the existing pattern of an activity. However, they are only as effective as the willingness of users to support the measures, which in turn depend on the benefits expected from the voluntary measures or likely cost. Both of which can only be determined through consultation.

Whilst their role is therefore limited, particularly when it comes to dealing with more significant management issues, they are able to secure initial support in situations where a statutory approach would have caused significant resentment for little additional gain.

Consultation with all the stakeholders is essential for developing a management scheme for recreational watersports, current experience suggests that a substantial proportion of PW users will support a sensible, fairly administered scheme. The needs of such users may not be self evident to managers and it is worth finding out what these are, either through public meetings or direct liaison with user groups and agencies.