Social Acceptability and Public Participation in the EIA System : Civil Society Perspective

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Social Acceptability and Public Participation in
the EIA System Civil Society Perspective
Rowena Reyes-Boquiren, Ph.D. SocioEconomic and
Policy Unit Conservation International
Philippines
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The other side of poorly designed development

Polluted rivers and water systems
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Tragedy of the commons

• Open access
• Exists when there are no defined property rights
  in renewable resources

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Outline

• Take-off points in the discussion of
• the EIA System
• Development and conservation
• Biodiversity conservation and human
  well-being in development

• Issues in social acceptability

• Issues in public participation

• The way forward recommendations

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Non-negotiable from the civil society sector
Development that destroys ecosystem
sustainability - biodiversity status -
human well-being
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• BIODIVERSITY
• Habitat or ecosystem
• Species
• Genetic

• ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES
• Materials food,medicine,
• shelter, clothing
• Water
• Carbon sink
• Climate regulation
• Soil erosion/flood control
• Aesthetic values

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Biodiversity Crisis
State of the Philippine Environment
destruction of life support system
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Threats
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Vegetation Map
Cultural Minorities
Protected Areas
Mining Applications
Threatened sites
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Ecosystem factors that threaten life support
systems (biodiversity)
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BIODIVERSITY STATUS
PROXIMATE DRIVERS
Conservation action
ULTIMATE DRIVERS
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State-Pressure-Response Framework
BIODIVERSITY LOSS (STATE)
DIRECT FACTORS (PRESSURE)
CONSERVATION INTERVENTIONS (RESPONSE)

SOCIOECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DRIVERS (PRESSURE)
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Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priorities
Terrestrial 170
Marine 36
TOTAL 206
Summary Priorities
Extremely High 106 Very High
72 High
13 Insufficient Data 15
No data on socio-econ pressures
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Conservers
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CIVIL SOCIETY PLAYERS in CONSERVATION, PARTNERS
IN DEVELOPMENT

• NGOs, POs, sectoral organizations in
  communities
• Academic institutions and research centers
• Private sector groups
• Media, church, etc.
• Local government units

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Opportunities/venues

• Production/development programs services
• Settlements
• Protected Areas (as initial components and under
  the NIPAS)
• Watershed Management programs
• Ancestral Domains
• critical habitats

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• RECOGNIZE greater holism and multi-stakeholder
  engagement
• Strategic partnerships
• Multi-level inter-agency
• convergence

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MODES OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

• LOCAL COMMUNITY / CIVIL SOCIETY
• A. Typical advocacy mode
• Attending meetings, seminars/fora, consultations
  initiated by others
• 2. Disseminating new information to others
• 3. Taking action/adopting projects
• 4. Volunteering (patrolling, reporting, IEC
  activities, monitoring)

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STRATEGIES action values

• Multidisciplinary / multidimensional in scope and
  approach
• sustainable development
• conserving biodiversity, not poverty
•    species protection
• ecosystem/habitat protection /
• rehabilitation
• human development

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STRATEGIES action values

• Inter-agency participation and coordination and
  policy harmonization
• appropriate agency involvement
• recognition of agency capacity
• and mandate
• mechanisms for coordination

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STRATEGIES action values

• Partnership with the local community and other
  stakeholders
• social acceptability
• strategic alliances among
• stakeholders
• local community in various modes
• of participation

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STRATEGIES action values

• Eco-governance transparency, political will,
  management in situ
• primacy of conservation and sustainable
  development goals
• recognition of political factors
• appropriate co-management schemes

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STRATEGIES action values

• Aiming toward sustainability through
  institutionalized actions
• depolitization of the conservation and
  sustainable development agenda
• building self-reliance founded on social
• justice

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• Prospects
• - There is heightened awareness of environmental
  issues than 10 years ago
• Policy context, though needing harmonization, is
  improving, with more direct engagement of civil
  society
• Learning from good, successful practices
• - Diverse stakeholders with different, sometimes
  conflicting interests varied ecological services

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MARAMING SALAMAT PO