Natura 2000 is the core pillar of EU nature conservation, where the participation of stakeholders from different social spheres and sectors is necessary to achieve its objectives. The study of the participation and conflicts between stakeholders and the characteristics of their network in the process of forming the Natura 2000 Management Program (PUN) 2015-2020 was the starting point of the dissertation. The research was based on semi-structured interviews (n = 17) and a survey (n = 266) of stakeholders involved in the process of forming the PUN. The participatory process is in line with the criteria for assessing participation, indicating a positive trend in the process of forming a PUN. However, dissatisfaction with the involvement of some stakeholders and disregard for stakeholder suggestions proved to be its shortcomings. The stakeholder participation network was centralized as only a few institutions played a central role in the formation of the PUN, with the nature conservation sector having the highest concentration of power (5,88). Analysis of the relationship between perceived and "real" power showed a moderate relationship between forces in institutions from the state sphere (r = 0,539; p = 0,031), and none in institutions from the civil society sphere. Stakeholders also had opposing views regarding their influence on PUN, which often led to conflicts over content and procedure. The research shows that the participation process needs to be improved so that different stakeholders from different sectors are more actively involved and power is balanced. Otherwise, the imbalance of power and representation of stakeholders in the process of forming a new PUN may hinder its adoption and subsequent implementation.
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