Public participation, Good Environmental Governance and fulfilment of Environmental rights

Abstract

This article succinctly, albeit critically, assesses with reference to some international developments the role that public participation is expected to play in state governments’ fulfilment of citizens’ environmental rights. Based on a survey of literature and jurisprudence, the article considers substantive environmental rights as human rights and the notion of public participation generally. It also puts forward some ideas on the relation between public participation and the fulfilment of environmental rights and how this may feed into good environmental governance. The article does not aim to contribute to the discourse on good governance or good environmental governance per se. Instead, it introduces the presumed role of public participation processes in an environmental rights context what may be but a facet of good governance and/or good environmental governance. Where applicable, the South African context is employed to illustrate and reinforce the observations and/or viewpoints maintained.

Environmental management frameworks: balancing environmental and developmental imperatives in sensitive areas

“…It must be the responsibility of the EMF project team and the government to capacitate and train stakeholders so that they can meaningfully engage with the information in order to make informed comments and decisions (EIAMS, 2011;du Plessis, 2008). This type of training should focus on understanding ecosystem services and the impacts that proposed developments could have on livelihoods and the ecology of the areas, but also on the economic and business opportunities that exist.…”

“…Information needs to be freely available and extra effort must be made by the management or project team to ensure that all stakeholders have the requisite information in order to ensure that the process is transparent and understandable (du Plessis, 2008). If meetings are conducted in secret, a suspicion of intentional exclusion can arise and distrust will mount, ultimately souring the process.…”

Assessing the Potential Role of Open Data in South African Environmental Management

“…One of the most salient applications of this concept is as a means, through localised environmental management, to mitigate environmental degradation (Du Plessis, 2008). In broad terms, public participatory governance is a concept that describes a continuous relationship between citizens and governance structures, whether public or private, such that Open Data for Environmental Management citizens are able to meaningfully engage in governance decisions that affect their lives.…”