Stakeholder participation in resource management

Abstract

Most of the natural resources in Sri Lanka are deteriorating at an alarming rate due to rapid development. Environmental problems are faced by many people scattered throughout the island (Impact Monitoring Report IV-Environment Management Limited, 2002). Conservation and sustainable use of natural resources will definitely benefit future generations of Sri Lanka. Hence, managing these natural resources for sustainable use is of utmost importance. Many natural resources conservation projects are now being implemented at village level or at country level or at global level depending on the situation. (Empowering People, 1998) Communities are considered as the most effective unit to put into practice the principles and programs of sustainable development. The community development approach starts from the point of view of people and their needs. (Enabling Sustainable Community Development, 1994) Development agencies had begun to introduce concepts of participation in projects and programs by the late 1970s and early 1980s after the lack of beneficiary participation was identified as a reason for the failure of many development efforts. Initially, emphasis was on popular participation. In the past decade, the promotion of participation in development has become more widespread and the focus has widened to include other stakeholders as well. Participation is the comer stone of sustainable community development. The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro made clear that sustainability is more about people and community based prosperity than about technical matters. (Enabling Sustainable Community Development, 1994) Stakeholder Participation in Resource Management Participation is a process through which stakeholders influence and share control over development initiatives and the decisions and resources, which affect them. Participation can take place in different places of the project cycle and at different levels of society, and take many different forms. In order to establish a participatory planning process, project designers must first identity those who should be involved in the process, or the stakeholders. Stakeholders' interests and relative levels of influence and power will vary from project to project and should be identified through an analysis of each situation. (World Bank Participation Source Book, 1996) However, development agencies have only recently recognized the need for monitoring and evaluation (M and E) of participation in development projects and programs. Three aspects of participation need to be evaluated: > the extent and quality of participation; > the costs and benefits of participation to the different stakeholders; and > the impact of participation on outcome, performance and sustainability.