focus groups, citizens’ juries and open space method: innovative tools of public involvement in...
TRANSCRIPT
Focus Groups, Citizens’ Juries and Open Space method: Innovative tools of public
involvement in water management
Kati KangurPeipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation
Estonia
9th June, St. Petersburg
Rationale behind involving stakeholders in decision-making
Increase the public awareness and acceptance of the problems in water management and measures that need to be taken for solution
Enrich QUALITY OF DECISIONS with relevant viewpoints and local information about the water issue that could not have been generated otherwise.
Widen the RESPONSIBILITY for the decisions made and actions taken as stakeholders are drawn into the deliberation about the problems that need to be solved and so become co-responsible for the decisions that are made and actions that are taken.
Preconditions for effective public involvement
Widespread recognition of its value Political will to implement the deliberated
decisions, economical feasibility Practical guidance and capacity to involve
citizens and their recommendations in policy design.
The analyses of the public participation results provide a starting point for the integrated water management strategies including the awareness building and public action fostering.
Overview of innovative public involvement tools:
• Focus Group interviews
• Citizens’ Juries
• Open Space method
Focus groups and citizens’ juries tested in
EU 5th FP funded RIVER DIALOGUE project: “Empowerment
and Awareness Building in River Basin Management Through Focus Groups and
Citizens Juries”
Aimed at identifying most effective participatory approach in the river basin management plan design
Focus groups
4–8 members in a group discussion on certain issue
In a free atmosphere participants exchange their points of views and experiences building each other awareness and acceptance of others perspectives
Reach common understanding of the problem Source of information on uncovered topics
Example: Mapping stakeholders needs in Emajõgi River Basin
How are environmental risks perceived? Sources of environmental information? Interest towards water management? Possibilities for influencing environmental
policy-making?
Interviews
Schoolchildren Community activists Water tourism entrepreneurs Fishermen Farmers Summer cottage owners Local government officials Representatives of water sport club Environmental NGOS
Spring 2003 in Emajõgi River Basin with stakeholders focused on :
Participants perception of the experience
Majority of participants’ expectations were fulfilled: Got to say out their opinion Exchange of information and experiences on water
management Pleasant to discuss together issues that otherwise are
not talked about
Focus groups findings
Awareness of the risks is a precondition for interest in participation in solving environmental problems
Lack of information and relevant experiences furthers Lack of information and relevant experiences furthers opposition among stakeholdersopposition among stakeholders
Water information in hard to understand and for common people
Water management earns too little public attentionWater management earns too little public attention
WM is dominated by out of local context environmental protection and EU bureaucracy standards
Focus groups is an efficient method to evoke Focus groups is an efficient method to evoke diverse understandings and building public diverse understandings and building public awarenessawareness
Citizens’ juries
A group of representatives of the community comes together to carefully deliberate on the problem significant to the community.
Panel members hear expert opinions give their suggestions for the solution.
The decision made by the panel will be delivered to the policy-makers and for implementation
YES or NO for the water tourism development on Emajõgi River
Conducting Citizens’ Jury• Jury members: inhabitants of Puhja and Rannu municipalities
• Presentations of witnesses from different sectors: river port, nature reserve, NGO, engineer, businessman
• Enabled participants to get to know different perspectives on the development of Emajõgi region
• Gives participants possibility to utter their opinion on issue at stake
• Gives information on the public perceptions of the problems and value orientations, needs and interests
• At the end of the day Jury compiled their recommendations
• Report was sent to state and local authorities dealing Report was sent to state and local authorities dealing with River Emajõgi WM issueswith River Emajõgi WM issues
YES or NO for the water tourism development on Emajõgi River
• Water Association lead by Min. of Environment, focal point of public involvement in river basin management plans design
• Estonian Civil Society Development Act (2003) – support for the NGOs and local civil actions
• Increasing activeness and acknowledgement of NGOs as state’s partners
Open Space Method – tested in frames of GEF project of Lake Peipsi-
Chudskoe Basin Management plan
• MIN. MODERATION & MAX CITIZENS’ INPUT
• Participants are free to raise a problem of discussion
• Choose a group of discussion to contribute to • Jointly evaluate the significnace of the problem • Compose a strategy for the problem solution
Future of Environmental Education in Lake Peipsi basin?
• Discussion groups on: teachers’ capacity, state support, media coverage, tehnical means for water education education etc.
• Example of following concrete action:Contribution to Min.o.Environment and
Min.o.Education strategy on outdoors environmental education development
YES or NO for the water tourism development on Emajõgi River
• Water Association lead by Min. of Environment, focal point of public involvement in river basin management plans design
• Estonian Civil Society Development Act (2003) – support for the NGOs and local civil actions
• Increasing activeness and acknowledgement of NGOs as state’s partners
Lessons LearnedCitizens’ juries, focus groups and open space
methods: • Enable participants to get to know different perspectives
on a challenge in water management• Give information on the public perceptions of the
problems and value orientations, needs and interests• Promote political dialogue aimed at mutual
understanding: not aiming at complete agreements, but rather that they try to resolve conflicts by finding an acceptable solution
• After careful careful consideration also ordinary people are able to discuss complex water management issues !
