MAKING IT REAL: WHAT RISK MANAGERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The "decide-announce-defend" approach to decision-making offers few meaningful opportunities for engagement in decision processes and communities and individuals frequently feel isolated from decisions. Correspondingly, many practitioners believe science is misunderstood by communities and that messages on risk are susceptible to distortion or misrepresentation. Many voices have called for more inclusive approaches to the analysis and management of risk. Here, we draw on theoretical and practical insights from the fields of risk communication, community engagement and contaminated land management, to explore some of the unique issues involved in communicating risk issues to lay audiences, and to identify principles for engaging communities in contaminated land risk management.