This research paper presents a well-being framework developed for assessing alternative development scenarios in culturally diverse communities. While involving affected communities in natural resource planning is widely accepted in Western-democratic countries, there is no consensus on the well-being framework that might be used in participatory planning. The research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the well-being framework used in a participatory scenario planning exercise in Western Australia.

Methodology

The study used a participatory scenario planning exercise to develop the framework, which incorporated examining the relationship between the assessment of scenarios, developing and evaluating the well-being framework, and analysing how participants used the framework. The research team used a series of workshops in two stages. Stage 1 involved consultation with traditional owners on the Martuwarra and Stage 2 involved multi-stakeholder evaluation of scenarios.

The study found that a well-constructed definition of well-being and its constituent categories is crucial for cross-cultural purposes and for avoiding issues such as mixing means and ends in environmental decisions, mixing entities in classification schemes, and colonisation and suppression of diverse ways of knowing. The study demonstrates that the well-being framework can help in systematically identifying preferences of communities for different scenarios. The study concludes that the well-being framework is culturally sensitive, and it supports structured and transparent communication between culturally diverse groups.

Recommendations

This well-being framework can be useful for natural resource planning in areas with culturally diverse communities as it is effective for assessing the potential impacts of scenarios that aim to improve people’s well-being. In the context of Western Australia, the study recommends that a comprehensive analysis of the ecosystems and their role in the marine environment and ecosystems would be valuable for a more detailed planning process. Future research should review and amend the well-being categories to align with those of the communities involved.

This research paper discusses Environmental and Social (ES) issues as it evaluates the effectiveness of a well-being framework to support natural resource planning in culturally diverse communities. The study identifies that a well-constructed definition of well-being and its constituent categories is crucial for cross-cultural purposes and is essential to avoid multiple problems within western-democratic approaches. The study emphasises the need to engage with culturally diverse communities by carefully considering diverse ontologies and identifies the tension between different worldviews as an important consideration.