The first step in mediation is to make sure all the parties, no matter how many there are, understand that they are all on equal footing even if their reality, their priorities and their objectives are different. Everyone is equal. For mediation to work, people really have to work collaboratively and horizontally, not hierarchically.
It's a big challenge. This isn't how governments work. Normally, the department take precedence over everyone else and takes whatever it wants from coastal communities. When it's the government versus a small fisher standing on the end of their wharf, some people are obviously going to have a hard time grasping the concepts of unilateralism and hierarchy.
We need to start by rethinking our relationship to the evolution and preservation of our ecosystems. That means breaking down the silos and the hierarchical structure to put all stakeholders on a level playing field. During mediation, an independent third party facilitates discussions and mediation. The stakeholders are on a level playing field; none of them are subordinate to the others.