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Newsletter and Technical Publications CHAPTER 4. PUBLIC AWARENESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION 4.3. Public Participation 4.3.1. Decision-Making Process with Public Participation To achieve the objectives of water eutrophication control, the public participation in the entire period of the decision-making process is required. Public participation is basically concerned with involving, informing, and consulting the public in planning, management, and other decision-making activities which can be considered part of the political process. It is that part of the process, which provides opportunities and encouragement for the public to express their views. Active public involvement in the decision-making process is one of the strongest ways of driving public and political support for the implementation of environmental programmes. In addition, planning and implementation is greatly facilitated if the public has direct involvement in the planning and decision-making process. The dialogue with the public should already be established at the stage when the concept for a given decision is being developed and continued throughout the entire period of planning and implementation stages, as well as monitoring, until the anticipated environmental result of the undertaken decision is achieved. 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 are aware of national and local priorities for development. It means, that national and local development priorities need to be, in the first place, worked out and accepted by local, regional and national governments and next appropriately disseminated through the public. It must be stressed that it is easier for people to accept policy measures, sometimes difficult or controversial, when the importance of the eutrophication problem is properly presented to them and their role of preventing this problem is highlighted. Public participation of particular groups is especially well trained through the development and implementations of specific programmes concerning water management. Active involvement of public groups in the development of the strategy of lakes and reservoir management creates public advocacy of the decision-making processes and solid condition for its implementation. Effective public participation requires the availability of adequate information in public inputs. Freedom of public access to information on the environment is the basic step to achieve this. Limitation in the accessibility of data to the public is one of the main barriers in the effective public participation. Rules of Public Participation Purpose: The purpose of public participation is to make better decisions that reflect the interests and concerns of all affected stakeholders, including decision-makers. Role of Practitioner: The role of the practitioner is to enhance the public's participation in the decision-making process and to assist the decision-maker in being responsive to the public's concerns and suggestions. Trust: A public participation practitioner should encourage actions that build trust and credibility for the process and among the participants at all times. Defining the Public's Role: The public's role in the decision-making process should be carefully considered and accurately portrayed to the public. Openness: Information relevant to the public's understanding or evaluation of a decision should be disclosed. Access to the Process: All stakeholders should have the opportunity to take part in the public participation process. A stakeholder should not be given special privileges in the public participation process based on its sympathy for the decision-maker's preferred alternative. Respect for Communities: A public participation practitioner should avoid strategies that tend to polarize community interests or appear to divide and conquer. Advocacy: In interactions with the public, the practitioner should provide a clear understanding of when the practitioner is acting as an advocate for the public participation process, and when the practitioner is acting as an advocate for a particular interest, party, or project outcome. Commitments: The practitioner has a responsibility to ensure that commitments made to the public by the decision-maker are genuine and can be implemented. Support of the Practice: The experienced practitioner should participate in the training of new practitioners in the field and engage in efforts to educate decision-makers and the public about the value and use of public participation. In particular, the objectives of public participation in the decision-making processes for water conservation in lakes and reservoirs concerning eutrophication control are:
Reinforcing the position of the local government as a public entity responsible for environmental quality is an essential part of the public participation process. To provide effective public participation in a given decision-making process, a mass communication program should be initiated according to the prepared Public Involvement Plan. The components of the plan are discussed above in the section concerning the mass communication process. The essential stages of the process are discussed below. They are:
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