Democratic participation in the management of common natural resources and the native populations in the Southern Coast of Paraná

Abstract

The current debate on democracy seems to be based on five models which, according to Coelho e Nobre (2004), have become reference points, namely: the "elitist", the "pluralist", the "legal", the "participatory" and the "deliberative" models. In this paper we will focus on the last two.The "participatory" model became known as the "new left" model in contrast to the "legal" model. Carole Pateman, Nikos Poulantzas and C.B. Macpherson conceived this model in order to overcome material inequalities and deficits in political opinion-making, as well as to increase citizen participation in decision-making processes. It is important to stress that their theories did not seek to substitute representation mechanisms, but to establish spaces for direct participation alongside political representation (COELHO; NOBRE, 2004). According to Pateman (1992), the participatory democracy theorist par excellence was Rousseau, followed by John Stuart Mill and, more recently, G.D.H. Cole. Rousseau's political theory is based on the individual participation of each citizen in the political decision-making process. This has a psychological effect on those who take part, ensuring an ongoing relationship between the way institutions work and the characteristics and psychological attitudes of the individuals engaged therein. Rousseau argued that certain economic conditions had to be met in order for the participatory system to operate, given that existing differences should not lead to political inequality.

Overview of participatory water management to overcome drought towards agricultural sector

“…Participation combines multi-actor perspectives through deliberation for finding solutions of particular issues. Participation creates more spaces for community to address unbalance roles in decision-making processes and they can be their own master from their selfgovernance [14]. Moreover, it strengthens community's capacity and helps them to get better fulfilment of their needs generally.…”

“…Mutual learning from knowledge sharing enhances collaborative networking and active involvement. Educating the community increases their engagement and their capacity for policymaking because it influences people's behavior in participatory processes in order to be more effective and efficient [14], [22].…”

The involvement of non-state actors in the creation and management of protected areas: insights from the Portuguese case

“…From the late 1970s onwards, the global diffusion of community-oriented models, designed to ensure public participation and to balance conservation with local needs, was prompted by the upsurge of indigenous people's movements and the emergence of the sustainable development concept, which bridged the environmental dimension with the social and economic ones (Jeanrenaud 2002). This participatory turn in PAs, has been underpinned by principles of participative and deliberative models of democracy (Mellinger and Floriani 2015). Public participation in environmental decisions has proven to be crucial for raising awareness on environmental issues, and for building local management capacity (Beierle and Cayford 2002).…”

Traditional People, Protected Areas and Tourism: A 15-Year Brazilian Case Study of Cultural Change

“…In practice, this means that each community should have been consulted and re-categorized according to its needs (cf. Mellinger, 2015). Thus, instead of forcing the creation of one discontinuous Sustainable Reserve, as proposed by INEA, the existing Reserve might have been re-categorized into smaller protected areas, all of them being managed as a mosaic, as foreseen in SNUC.…”