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An evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments : a Namibian case study
Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
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| _version_ | 1867614058574774272 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Strauss, Stephanie Junitha |
| author2 | Muller, Anneke J. I. |
| author_browse | Muller, Anneke J. I. Strauss, Stephanie Junitha |
| author_facet | Muller, Anneke J. I. Strauss, Stephanie Junitha |
| author_sort | Strauss, Stephanie Junitha |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124867 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:58.010Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124867 An evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments : a Namibian case study Strauss, Stephanie Junitha Muller, Anneke J. I. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership. Environmental impact analysis -- Namibia Environmental impact analysis -- Law and legislation -- Namibia Environmental protection -- Citizen participation -- Namibia Sustainable development -- Namibia UCTD Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH SUMMARY: Public participation plays an important role in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in allowing the public an opportunity to be involved in the process and to provide input regarding proposed developments. However, in practice it is not clear whether public participation is being effectively conducted such that it allows the public to actually influence decision making. This research evaluates the effectiveness of public participation conducted as part of the EIA process, using the Namibian policy framework and four Namibian projects as a case study. The research objectives of this study included conceptualising effective participation and developing a theoretical framework that could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of public participation against. The study then used this framework to assess the Namibian legislation to determine whether it sufficiently provides for effective participation in EIAs. Thereafter the framework was used to evaluate the four EIA projects. Lastly the study provides recommendations for improvement of public participation as part of EIAs in Namibia. The research design adopted an evaluation design to determine whether public participation in practice is effectively implemented. The research is based on a multiple case study methodology and made use of case studies consisting of four projects that required EIAs. The case studies were evaluated against the theoretical framework for effective public participation developed. The case study research made use of a mixed method approach of both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect and analyse data. A literature review, questionnaires with open ended questions, and document review were used in the research to collect qualitative data. Supplementary quantitative data was also collected by the questionnaires, which were administered to Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs), Environmental Impact Assessment Practitioners (EAPs) and Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) officials. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic content analysis and the quantitative data using Microsoft Excel. The case studies revealed that the participants became involved at relatively late stages within the development process and thus opportunities to influence the decisions of decision makers were more limited. The case studies emphasised the need for obtaining Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), particularly within projects in which indigenous people were affected. It also revealed that participation must be culturally appropriate and should be tailored to the particular cultural context of the affected communities. The barriers identified that prevented participants from participating meaningfully included language barriers, ineffective media used for communicating information, inappropriate timings and venues of meetings, lack of education coupled with highly technical information being presented, short review and comment periods, and poor access to information in general. The research additionally demonstrated that in some cases public comments and inputs were not incorporated into decision making and are merely provided as an appendix to the EIA report provided to decision makers, instead of being fully incorporated and addressed. The legal requirements were however mostly adhered to within the cases, illustrating that the legal requirements are not adequate. This study thus recommends that it is necessary to review the Namibian EIA regulations with regard to the provisions pertaining to public participation to ensure that they allow for effective participation. The legislation should be prescriptive as to the different participation requirements for small-scale and large-scale projects. Guidelines should be developed which can be implemented to address the gaps within the legal framework and particularly with regard to consultation with indigenous communities. Lastly, there should be stricter provisions within the legislation that relate to the consideration of comments made during participation and the degree to which they are considered in decision making. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Openbare deelname speel 'n belangrike rol in die omgewingsimpak-evaluering (OIE) proses om die publiek 'n geleentheid te gee om by die proses betrokke te wees en insette te lewer rakende voorgestelde ontwikkelings. In die praktyk is dit egter nie duidelik of openbare deelname effektief uitgevoer word sodat dit die publiek in staat stel om werklik besluitneming te beïnvloed nie. Hierdie navorsing evalueer die doeltreffendheid van openbare deelname aan die OIE -proses, deur die Namibiese beleidsraamwerk en vier Namibiese OIE-projekte as ‘n gevallestudie te gebruik. Die navorsingsdoelwitte sluit in die konseptualisering van effektiewe deelname en die ontwikkeling van 'n teoretiese raamwerk om die effektiwiteit van openbare deelname te evalueer. Die studie gebruik dan hierdie raamwerk om te beoordeel of die Namibiese wetgewing voldoende is om effektiewe deelname aan OIEs moontlik te maak. Daarna word die raamwerk gebruik om die vier OIE-projekte te evalueer. Laastens gee die studie aanbevelings vir die verbetering van openbare deelname as deel van OIEs in Namibië. Die navorsingsontwerp het 'n evalueringsontwerp aangeneem om te bepaal of openbare deelname aan die praktyk effektief geïmplementeer word. Die navorsing was gebaseer op 'n veelvoudige gevallestudiemetodiek en het gebruik gemaak van vier gevallestudies bestaande uit vier OIE-projekte. Die gevallestudies is geëvalueer aan die hand van die teoretiese raamwerk vir effektiewe openbare deelname wat ontwikkel is. Die gevallestudie navorsing het gebruik gemaak van 'n gemengde metode benadering van beide kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe metodes om data te versamel en te analiseer. 'n Literatuuroorsig, vraelyste met oop vrae en dokumentoorsig is in die navorsing gebruik om kwalitatiewe data te versamel. Kwantitatiewe data is versamel deur vraelyste wat aan belanghebbende en geaffekteerde partye, omgewingsimpak -assesseringspraktisyns en amptenare van die Ministerie van Omgewing en Toerisme gerig is. Die kwalitatiewe data is ontleed met behulp van tematiese inhoudsanalise en die kwantitatiewe data met behulp van Microsoft Excel. Die gevallestudies het aan die lig gebring dat die deelnemers in relatiewe laat stadiums van die ontwikkelingsproses betrokke geraak het en die geleentheid om besluite deur besluitnemers te beïnvloed, dus meer beperk was. Die gevallestudies het die behoefte aan die lig gebring om vrye, voorafgaande en ingeligte toestemming (FPIC) te verkry, veral binne projekte waarin inheemse mense geraak word. Dit het ook aan die lig gebring dat deelname kultureel toepaslik moet wees en aangepas moet word by die spesifieke kulturele konteks van die geaffekteerde gemeenskappe. Die struikelblokke wat geïdentifiseer is wat deelnemers verhoed om sinvol deel te neem, sluit in taalhindernisse, ondoeltreffende media wat gebruik word om inligting te kommunikeer, tydsberekening en onvanpaste ontmoetingsplekke, ‘n gebrek aan opleiding, gepaardgaande met hoogs tegniese inligting, kort hersienings- en kommentaarperiodes en swak toegang tot inligting. Die navorsing het verder getoon dat openbare kommentaar en insette dikwels nie by besluitneming ingesluit word nie, aangesien dit slegs as 'n aanhangsel by die OIE-verslag aan besluitnemers verskaf word, in plaas daarvan dat dit volledig opgeneem en aangespreek word. Die wetlike vereistes vir publieke deelname is egter meestal in hierdie gevalle nagekom, wat illustreer dat die wetlike vereistes nie voldoende is nie. Die navorsing beveel dus aan dat die OIE-regulasies hersien moet word ten opsigte van die bepalings rakende openbare deelname om te verseker dat dit effektiewe deelname verseker. Die wetgewing moet voorskriftelik wees ten opsigte van verskillende deelnamevereistes vir kleinskaalse en grootskaalse projekte. Riglyne moet ontwikkel word wat geïmplementeer kan word om die leemtes binne die wetlike raamwerk op te los, en veral met betrekking tot konsultasie met inheemse gemeenskappe. Laastens moet daar strenger bepalings in die wetgewing wees wat betrekking het op die oorweging van kommentaar wat tydens deelname gemaak is en die mate waarin dit in ag geneem word by besluitneming. Masters 2022-03-08T08:43:28Z 2022-04-29T09:37:57Z 2022-03-08T08:43:28Z 2022-04-29T09:37:57Z 2022-04 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124867 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xix, 201 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Environmental impact analysis -- Namibia Environmental impact analysis -- Law and legislation -- Namibia Environmental protection -- Citizen participation -- Namibia Sustainable development -- Namibia UCTD Strauss, Stephanie Junitha An evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments : a Namibian case study |
| title | An evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments : a Namibian case study |
| title_full | An evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments : a Namibian case study |
| title_fullStr | An evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments : a Namibian case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | An evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments : a Namibian case study |
| title_short | An evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments : a Namibian case study |
| title_sort | evaluation of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessments a namibian case study |
| topic | Environmental impact analysis -- Namibia Environmental impact analysis -- Law and legislation -- Namibia Environmental protection -- Citizen participation -- Namibia Sustainable development -- Namibia UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124867 |
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