Community Inclusion Standard

Best Practice Guide

Best Practice Guide
Nixseaman, R., Cook, A. Best Practice Guide: Community Inclusion for Community Benefit
This guide is a practical set of steps and actions intended to support a nature-based project to engage with their community and work collaboratively with them in the design of the project.
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Good practice on community inclusion does not start with a ‘project’ or key lines of enquiry already defined and planned. Rather it involves a community engagement process that can shape the project and key criteria for success.
Community inclusion standard best practice Guide - online version

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place-based case studies

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Community Inclusion Standard Best Practice Guide by Nature Finance Certification Alliance thanks to leading authors Deciding Matters is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

author acknowledgement

This guide was primarily authored by Deciding Matters, following a co-design process.

Learn more about the co-design process

Full Acknowledgements

The following organisations shaped this Guide via a co-design process, providing insights and perspectives based on their own place-based community engagement:

  • Anstruther Improvements Association
  • Bioregioning Tayside
  • City of Edinburgh Council
  • CreditNature
  • Dumfries and Galloway Council
  • Future Forest Company
  • Highlands Rewilding
  • Nattergal
  • Northwest 2045
  • Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust
  • Soil Association Charity
  • Trees for Life

The following organisations contributed as project partners:

  • British Standards Institute
  • Deciding Matters
  • Fife Coast and Countryside Trust
  • Finance Earth
  • Foundation Scotland
  • Green Finance Institute
  • James Hutton Institute
  • Kana
  • IUCN UK Peatland Programme’s Peatland Code
  • Realise Earth
  • Saltmarsh Code
  • Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)
  • Scottish Land Commission
  • Scottish Wildlife Trust
  • Soil Association Certification Ltd
  • UK Carbon Code of Conduct
  • University of Strathclyde
  • Wilder Carbon Standard for Nature and Climate
  • Woodland Carbon Code

The following organisations provided feedback and advice via consultation:

  • Bidwells
  • Community Woodlands Association
  • Fauna & Flora
  • Federated Hermes
  • Fisheries Management Scotland
  • Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery
  • Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
  • National Parks Partnership
  • NatureScot
  • RSPB
  • Scottish Forum on Natural Capital
  • Scottish Government Private Investment in Natural Capital (PINC) Programme (including Community Benefits Advisory Group)
  • Scottish Land and Estates

This project has been supported by The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland , delivered by NatureScot in collaboration with The Scottish Government and in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund

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