Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making: A Case Study from Ethiopia

Abstract

In East Shoa Zone of Ethiopia, along the highway between the towns of Akaki and Modjo are located, several clusters of development projects. Some of these clusters are located amidst the farming community. In this study public participation in environmental decision-making processes at the local level is assessed as part of a concerted effort to promote substantive communication and improve understanding on all sides. Formal survey using interviews with 60 household heads and community elders, and 2 Kebele representatives were undertaken. Responses of personnel from 10 selected industries and 6 relevant environmental authorities were collected. The outcome of the study indicates the presence of a largely constrained participation in which the role of the public is restricted as information recipient only. Lack of knowledge of the public on formal and non-formal tools of participation coupled with inability to organize themselves properly, on the one hand, and absence of detailed and program specific legislations together with limited capacity of the environmental authorities and the proponents on the other hand, have contributed a great deal to the flaws of the environmental decision-making process. The study reveals that the public prefers Kebele associations as channels of communication whilst they prefer participation techniques that provide opportunities of face-to-face discussion.