TThe participation of local communities,
indigenous peoples, various other actors
and the public in general in developing poli-
cies, planning and managing natural
resources has been increasingly promoted in
international and national policies. This book
analyses and discusses how participation
does— or does not— occur in the manage-
ment of forest and water resources at vari-
ous institutional levels in European contexts.
More precisely, the authors critically analyse
how the state has, over time, strengthened
its own development interests by removing
decisions over the management of natural
resources from local users and the hands of
communities and how, today, it attempts to
instrumentalise peoples’ participation to
increase its own legitimacy. This evolution is
reviewed in light of two other recent trends,
namely the globalisation of economic inter-
ests and the demands for democratisation,
decentralisation, and accountability. The
authors highlight the strategies used by var-
ious state agencies to control participation
in decision-making processes relating to for-
est and water resource management.
History, cculture aand cconservation
State vversus PParticipation—
Natural rresources mmanagement iin EEurope
By AAndréa FFinger-SStich aand MMatthias FFinger,
IIED-IIDS IInstitutionalising PParticipation SSeries IIIED,
London ,, 22002.
Andréa Finger-Stich
([email protected]) is an independ-
ent consultant with interests focusing on par-
ticipatory processes in forest management.
She is a member of CEESP/CMWG.
the cause of FFS/CIPM. 3. Farmer-cen-
tred learning and critical education that
promoted ecological knowledge for sus-
tainability, both among farmers and
those who worked with them. 4.
Enabling organisations that emphasised
farmers’ abilities promoted organisational
learning and are flexible in their struc-
ture and procedures. 5. The existence of
safe spaces where farmers can get
together, share problems and decide on
action (linking together these “safe
spaces” and local groups into broader
federations has helped farmers capture
power back from centralised, top down
agencies). 6. A context where farmers
have had some control over funding
decisions and allocations made by local,
national or international funding bodies.
Michel Pimbert([email protected]) is
Acting Director of the Sustainable Agriculture
and Rural Livelihoods programme at the
International Institute for Environment and
Development and a member of CEESP/
CEMWG and TILCEPA.
