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Strategies for Public Participation in the Management of Transboundary Waters

Strategies for Public Participation in the Management of Transboundary Waters in Countries in Transition Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe (Estonia/Russia) and Lake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania) Project report. The report was prepared within a project implemented by two regional international NGOs –

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Strategies for Public Participation in the Management of Transboundary Waters

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  1. Strategies for Public Participation in the Management of Transboundary Waters in Countries in Transition Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe (Estonia/Russia) andLake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania) Project report

  2. The report was prepared within a project implemented by two regional international NGOs – Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation (Estonia/Russia) and Alliance for Lake Cooperation in Ohrid and Prespa (Macedonia/Albania) with the support of the WWF International. The report is available at www.ctc.ee

  3. Public participation has gained wide recognition as a key principle for water management, but its implementation is problematic. Potential benefits of public participation include better informed and more creative decision-making, more public acceptance, less litigation, fewer delays, and more effective implementation of water policies; public participation can promote social learning, a more open and integrated government, and democracy; and sustainable water management (Mostert, 2002).

  4. EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION REQUIRES PRACTICAL GUIDANCE!

  5. Available methods of PP1. INFORMATION – public gets information through mass media, information centers, cultural events, leaflets and brochures;2. CONSULTATION – public is asked for opinion: interviews, comments in writing, opinion polls, public hearings, internet discussions;3. DISCUSSION – Real interaction takes place between the public and government: workshops;4. CO-DESIGNING – public takes an active part in developing policy or designing projects;5. CO-DECIDING – Negotiations, resulting in a “Volunteer agreement”;6. DECIDING – Public performs public tasks independently: water users’ associations

  6. Need to develop strategies and specific methods to stakeholder participation within existing LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR PP - UN ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes- UN ECE Aarhus Convention- EU Water Framework Directive ON DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL SCALES- International river basin - National level- Local level

  7. Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe BasinSurface Area3,558 km2Basin Area 44,240 km2 Shared by Russia (56%) and Estonia (44%)Average Depth 7.1 mMaximum 15.3 mPopulation about 1,000,000

  8. Lake Ohrid BasinSurface Area358.2 km2Basin Area 1,129 km2Basin is shared by Macedonia (70%) and Albania (30%)Average Depth 163 mMaximum Depth 289 mPopulation about 150,000.

  9. Stakeholder participation on national level Specific features: public participation on the international river basin level has to be integrated into the existing processes on national level where the widest range of stakeholders is involved in decision- and policy making. Stakeholder groups: businesses, farmer associations, local authorities and NGOs, a wider public. Associations of citizens’ play a crucial role. Role: participate in preparation of new legislative acts; promote effective implementation of the national legislation.

  10. Examples of stakeholder involvement on national level:Estonian Water Clubs under the Global Water Partnership

  11. International basin level Specific feature: involvement of the wider public remains limited to a few large NGOs and well-organized interest groups. Public participation at the basin level can be a valuable supplement to participation at the national level, but it can never replace it. Stakeholder groups involved: major businesses, agricultural associations, other larger interest groups such as fishermen and regional NGOs. Role: promoting trust building between the riparian states on the initial stages of cooperation, enhancing information exchange and communication, promoting effective implementation of international committments.

  12. Peipsi CTC is actively participating in the Commission’s working group

  13. In 2001 Peipsi CTC initiated an email list on Peipsi issues for all the interested parties in the region

  14. Local level Stakeholders: local community including youth and women groups, schoolchildren, small businesses Role: addressing local problems - water pollution are to be managed locally; Specific features: diverse ways depending on local specific cultural and economic background. One of the most important stakeholder groups at local level is local government that has a role of a mediator between the decision-makers and interested stakeholders.

  15. Tartu Volunteer Center, which organizes voluntary actions, e.g. lakeside cleanings

  16. Recommendations - There is a very large range of stakeholders with a large spectrum of interests differing from each other ready to participate in the water management issues;- Each of those stakeholder groups at every water management level needs a special approach to reach their needs and interests - different channels and tools of communication, different information packages, different timing; different level of detailed description; but all of them need clarity and transparency in the information;

  17. Recommendations- One of the most important pre-condition for stakeholder involvement is to formulate very clearly the problems and questions in which stakeholders can contribute the most.- The package of programs and activities to enhance public participation should be as diverse as possible and reach the audience wherever possible;- Special attention is needed to the local level: at local municipality and stakeholders’ leveloften insufficient planning and implementation capacity of local governments takes place due to inadequate resources and limited information and awareness.

  18. Final comments • No cookbooks available for PP – for every water basin, a stakeholder analysis (who are the stakeholders and what are their inherent interests) has to be conducted and a stakeholder involvement plan should be developed; • The stakeholder involvement plan has to be tailor made applying most suitable available methods of PP for EACH level of governance and EACH STEP of preparation and implementation of a basin management plan.

  19. Final questions • How to create awareness among water managers of the importance of working with stakeholders? • Where to start with developing capacity and adequate competency of river basin authorities for developing and implementing stakeholder involvement plans?

  20. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PRACTICES IN TRANSBUNDARY LAKE OHRID WATERSHED Albania, Greece and Macedonia

  21. LAKE OHRID WATERSHED

  22. OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATION • Why do we need a (new) strategy? • What are the current participation structures and methodologies in Lake Ohrid Watershed? • How do we actually define the Lake Ohrid Watershed?

  23. WHY NEW STRATEGY • State- and locally-driven (competing) agendas at the same time • International actors play an important role, but their agendas may differ • Polycentric watershed management …in order to promote further and enhance the public participation, the joint bodies in Lake Ohrid watershed would need new (appropriate) strategies

  24. ONGOING ACTIVITIES SEVERAL PARALEL PROCESSES: • Lake Ohrid Conservation Project: ALB-MKD (NOT GR!); GEF founded • Transboundary Prespa Park: ALB-MKD-GR; GTZ supported • Local Environmental Action Plans : ALB-MKD; financed & coordinated by ISC, US

  25. Participatory structures and methodologies LOCALY- OR STATE-DRIVEN? The Lake Ohrid Conservation Project is predominantly locally driven; the public in the watershed is intensively involved in the project implementation at national level. At international level, the Lake Ohrid Management Board provides for involvement of the local officials, scientists and NGOs. The role of the local actors in shaping the policy agenda of the Board fluctuated over the last four years. In the case of the Transboundary Prespa Park, the policy agenda is strongly state-driven, influenced by the highest state officials including the prime ministers of Albania, Greece and Macedonia. There are no institutional arrangements that would provide for wide involvement of the stakeholders. The preparation of the Local Environmental Action Plans is entirely locally driven. There is no or there is very weak connection to watershed scale planning.

  26. Participatory structures and methodologies REPRESENTATIVE OR DIRECT PARTICIPATION? The participation methodologies may substantially differ. The Lake Ohrid Conservation Project “pushes” towards a more inclusive (direct) participation. The approach of the Coordination Committee of the Transboundary Prespa Park is typical of “elite participation”

  27. INSTEAD OF CONCLUSIONS The issue of defining the system boundaries becomes central. It is related to the identification of the stakeholders and ultimately to the question of what type of participation organizations/institutions we need and what participation methodologies should be applied… Do we change the institutions? or… we change the strategy…

  28. Participatory structures and methodologies Or, put in other words… What are the “system boundaries” Is polycentric watershed management really bad “thing”…?

  29. Thank you for your attention

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