Achieving public participation in coastal zone environmental impact assessment

From coastal management to environmental management: The sustainable eco-tourism program for the mid-western coast of Sardinia (Italy)

“…Public participation and stakeholder involvement is essential in ICZM processes, not only in terms of a democratic approach, but also from a technical-instrumental point of view, in order to reduce decisional conflicts (Johnson and Dagg, 2003;Koutrakis et al, 2011). Reconnaissance and enhancement of the contributions and expectations of the actors involved is carried out in three ways: desk analysis, on field research and audit (interviews with actors/privileged observers) according to a bottom-up approach (Marin et al, 2009).…”

Involving the public in the impact assessment of offshore renewable energy facilities

“…Proposals need to be understandable [1,12,38]. New technologies, such as acoustically sensitive pile-driving for offshore turbine installations, may be particularly challenging.…”

“…But public participation is frequently not part of scoping [e.g., 29]. Despite potential benefits, many regulations for EIA such as those in Brazil [30], Israel [25], Greece [1], and Asia [31], require assessment according to guidelines that are either applied according to project type or on the basis of consultation with an appointed group of experts.…”

“…Consultation refers to the process of asking for information and comments about proposals often focusing more on the need of an authority to consult other bodies and named individuals than the broader public. Information gathering is one-way communication with those affected by a proposal, which then requires the receiver to acquire further information, to comment, and to become involved in decision-making [1,14]. Under the European system public involvement in EIA is generally through consultation.…”

“…Improved decision-making through EIA of proposed energy facilities is particularly critical in the coastal zone, especially in near-shore marine areas where there are multiple jurisdictions and a myriad of stakeholder groups who traditionally have had open access to resources. Also, any exclusionary development will result in a loss of public trust rights [1,2], so in democratic societies policy makers have an obligation to involve the public in decisions.…”