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Public Participation

Decision-making process with public participation

To achieve the objectives of eutrophication control, public participation throughout the period of decision-making is required. Public participation means involving, informing, and consulting the public in planning, management, and other decision-making activities that can be considered part of the political process. Active public involvement in the decision-making process is one of the strongest ways to obtain public and political support for the implementation of environmental programs. In addition, planning and implementation is facilitated if the public has direct involvement in the planning and decision-making process.

Decision-makers should consider environmental education and community participation as a priority in their national and local environmental policies. It is crucial for effective public participation that communities and environmental groups be aware of national and local priorities for development. It is often easier for people to accept policies, even difficult or controversial ones, when the importance and nature of the problem is properly presented to them.

Specific objectives for public participation in decision-making for control of eutrophication in lakes and reservoirs are as follows:

• Obtaining public acceptance for the principal goal of eutrophication control.
• Obtaining public acceptance of remedies prepared by expert panels to eliminate water pollution sources.
• Ensuring public control of implementation of remedies for protection of water in lakes and reservoirs.
• Obtaining public involvement in monitoring of water resources.
• Reinforcing the position of the local government as a public entity responsible for environmental quality.

The essential stages of the process are identification of particular stakeholders concerned with the problem and selection of persons who will represent those groups, selection and organization of public involvement, and stimulation and integration of stakeholders.

Identification of stakeholders and methods for screening

Planning contacts with the public and public involvement activities for protection of lakes and reservoirs requires the identification of stakeholders. Careful selection of participants in the social dialogue is essential for effective public participation in the decision-making processes.

The selection of stakeholders is based on the identification of interests and level of public awareness of the aquatic environment. In some cases, the stakeholders include local, national, or even international communities. Usually, individual users of the environment have different, often conflicting interests.

The manner in which particular stakeholders express their interests may vary significantly. Interests may vary from personal ones with strong emotional intensity to the public ones, represented by local authorities. Perceptions are often connected with myths extant in a community.

The identification of stakeholders in a given community can be carried out by screening existing organizations on the basis of published materials, direct contact with organizations, and by using the experience and knowledge of local communities and administrative authorities. A key way to identify stakeholders is to approach water resource users: (1) Groups connected with fisheries, whose existence depends on the quality of surface waters. (2) Groups connected with urban settlements because households are one of the major sources of the discharge of nutrients causing the eutrophication of surface waters. (3) Groups connected with industry because the industrial sector can be a significant water consumer and a source of emission of pollutants. (4) Farmers are an important group as the runoff of nutrients from agricultural land is often a major cause of nutrient enrichment of rivers and lakes. (5) Institutions indirectly or directly involved in water resource management including local governments, regional water authorities, businesses, and local and regional financial institutions. Other stakeholders include the scientific community, naturalists, and enthusiasts engaged in environmental protection.

When selecting the stakeholders, attention should be paid to those social groups that influence social acceptance of aquatic environmental protection. These groups can be identified through visits, surveys and discussion within communities concerned with water resource management. Women, the young, and representatives of the media can be counted in such groups.

Community representatives

Personal characteristics of representatives, their skills, their position in a given community, and their connections with other groups of stakeholders are important in the selection of participants. Any group of people has its leaders, i.e., persons who are distinguished by their knowledge, experience and social activity, and who have the respect of a given group. Such persons will best represent the interests of particular groups.

It is desirable that the persons chosen to represent a given community or a particular group of stakeholders have the following attributes: ability to communicate well, ability to convey information and acquire knowledge, and social commitment. The representatives should be moderate in their judgments and open to the views of others. Attention should be paid to having balanced representation of all groups who use the environment; omitting a group may jeopardise the effectiveness of the communications.

Role of scientific groups and non-governmental organizations

Scientific groups and non-governmental organizations play a major role in the public participation process. Scientists are among the first to discover evidence of significant environmental risks and changes resulting from human activities. However, this group seldom has taken a proactive approach to solutions. It is recognized increasingly that interactions among scientists, citizens' groups, non-governmental organizations, and the media create an increasing public awareness of environmental issues. This, in turn, creates public pressure that stimulates the decision-makers to act.

Non-governmental organizations have a special role in the integration of communities. As independent entities, they constitute an important element in public dialogue. They are usually regional organizations, experienced in public environmental education, particularly in conducting educational campaigns, organization of education for children, and public involvement in decision-making processes. Non-governmental organizations often include practitioners who can plan and conduct public dialogue. Through their contacts with international organizations, they can also be useful in finding financial support.

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• International Year of Forests
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