Participation and Lay Knowledge in Environmental Governance - ‘Significant’? Stakeholder’s participation is a recurrent theme of environmental governance since 1960s, when environmental politics became institutionalized within western developed countries. Scientists, interest groups, media and local protests have been significant in shaping the definition and resolution of environmental issues (Bulkeley and Mol, 2003). In contrast, Beck (1999) argued “in the face of this ‘risk society’, the conventional political institutions of modernity are increasingly…inadequate…as decision-making power, control and legitimacy increasingly locate outside the political system…which were previously considered unpolitical” (cited in Bulkeley and Mol, 2003). Collaborative processes, has been suggested, to enable local actors to place their knowledge in the broader context of what state actors know, and vice versa (Innes et al., 2007 cited in Taylor and de Loë, 2012). Only recognizing expert knowledge as a valid basis for decision-making excludes the knowledge and experience of people who live and work in ecosystems (Taylor and Buttel, 1992 cited in Evans, 2012). On the other hand Tatenhove and Leroy (2003) argue, “we should not assume that increased involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making process is necessarily symptomatic of a loss of state power. It is vital not to …assume that a linear trend of shifts from government to governance is taking place” (Macleod and Goodwin, 1999, p.522 cited in Bulkeley and Mol, 2003) Additionally, “contextualized knowledge, can lead to problem-specific responses that are more likely to be accepted and supported by the public. [B]ias against local knowledge highlights the critical relationship between knowledge and power in collaborative processes” (Lach et al., 2005; van Ast and Boot, 2003; Flyvbjerg, 2001; Healey, 2003 cited in Taylor and de Loë, 2012) In summation, local knowledge is significant equally as the scientific knowledge (in some cases surpasses) in environmental decision making and planning, in the era of complex challenge imposed by climate change, to adapt and sustain (Reid et al., 2009; Few et al., 2007). Public participation from the beginning of the development planning can make the process more focused, legitimate, resource optimized and worthy (Petts and Brooks, 2006).

1. Key Debates in Environmental
Governance
Week-9: The Public
Participation Debate
Presented by: Shahadat Hossain
Shakil

2. Contents
• Broader Debate: Public Participation in
EG Process
• Sub-debate: Significance of Local/Lay
Knowledge
• Community Based Adaptation to Climate
Change
• Case Study: CBA in Vulnerable Coastal
2

3. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Public Participation in EG Process - Evolution
o Involvement of stakeholders and the public in policy making
is a recurrent theme
o Early phase (from the 1960s until the early 1980s) –
• Consensual arrangements between the state and industry,
informed by (certain) science, while other stakeholders and
publics were left to influence events from ‘outside’ the
policy making process.
• Deviations from the formal model or idea of a hierarchical
state
o Contemporary Practices (since the early 1990s) –
3

4. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Public Participation in EG Process - Positive
• Collaborative processes enable local actors to place their
knowledge in the broader context of what state actors know, and
vice versa (Innes et al., 2004 cited in Taylor and de Loë, 2012).
• Involving communities and the public in the governance makes
instrumental sense, by improving the quality of decisions. Only
recognizing expert knowledge as a valid basis for decision-making
excludes the knowledge and experience of people who live and
work in ecosystems (Taylor and Buttle, 1992 cited in Evans, 2012)
4

5. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Public Participation in EG Process - Negative
Further
Debate
• Ulrich Beck (1999) argued in the face of this ‘risk society’,
the conventional political institutions of modernity are
increasingly irrelevant, inadequate or impotent as decisionmaking power, control and legitimacy increasingly locate
outside the political system in economic, technological,
scientific, community and consumption ‘sites which were
previously considered unpolitical’ (cited in Bulkeley and Mol,
2003).
• Exclusions can become inherent in a decision making
process, as the skills and knowledge required to participate
in deliberations restrict who is authorized to speak, along
with what and how issues are debated (Demerrit, 2001 cited
in Taylor and de Loë, 2012)
• In the global South, researchers have been highly critical of5

6. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Is lay knowledge as significant as scientific knowledge
and expertise? Why?
Definition
• [h]eld by non-scientists that is based on local wisdom,
experience, and practices that are adapted to the local
ecosystem (Ballard et al., 2008).
• Science as objective, verifiable, and tested using accepted
methods is contrasted with local knowledge based on
common sense and lived experience (Petts and Brooks,
6

7. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Is lay knowledge as significant as scientific knowledge
and expertise? Why?
Positive
[c]ontextualized knowledge, in turn, can lead to problemspecific responses that are more likely to be accepted and
supported by the public (Lach et al., 2005; van Ast and Boot,
2003)
Negative
• Discounting local knowledge in a collaborative process can
lead to outcomes based on imposed, coerced community
consensus rather than shared understanding and ownership
that collaboration is intended to achieve (Kapoor, 2001;
Berkes, 2002).
7

8. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change
Definition
Community-based adaptation to
community-led process, based on
needs, knowledge, and capacities,
people to plan for and cope with
change.
climate change is a
communities’ priorities,
which should empower
the impacts of climate
Combination of Knowledge
• Scientific information (e.g. long-term predictions from
climate change models, seasonal forecasts, information on
trends based on data collected at nearby weather stations);
and
• Local knowledge about trends and changes experienced by8

9. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
CBA in Vulnerable Coastal Areas of Bangladesh –
Innovation to Build Resilience
Location: Satkhira District, Bangladesh
Duration: March 2011-April 2013
Implemented by: Practical Action Bangladesh
Funded by: Asian Development Bank
Source: Google Map (Accessed: November 17, 2013)
Source: Banglapedia, 2012
9

10. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
CBA in Vulnerable Coastal Areas of Bangladesh –
Innovation to Build Resilience
Project Backdrop
Coastal communities of Bangladesh have been dealing with
vulnerabilities with many faces :
• Salt water intrusion affects their surface and ground waters
• Salinity transformed their agricultural practices from ricebased to shrimp-farming-based.
• Natural hazards, like cyclones and storm surges
• Reduced tree coverage and damaged embankments/polders
have further reduced resilience
• Affect the poor and extreme poor the most, which have
inadequate knowledge and technologies to adapt to
10
changing climate and to reduce their risks to disasters.

11. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
CBA in Vulnerable Coastal Areas of Bangladesh –
Innovation to Build Resilience
Activities
Name Description
1.
Weath
er
Foreca sting
Board
Knowled
ge/
Resource
Used
Weakly Forecast collected by the Scientific
UICO (Union Information Service Knowledg
Officer)
e
In consultation with the local
Agriculture, Livestock and Forestry
Officer forecast than transformed in
understandable format for the
farmers.
Observation
s
Traditional
Knowledge is
being
obsolete due
to
climate
variability
Source: Practical Action Bangladesh and ADB, 2013
11

12. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
CBA in Vulnerable Coastal Areas of Bangladesh –
Innovation to Build Resilience
Activities
Name Description
2. Rice- based
Croppi
ng
System -
Mini ponds are excavated adjacent
to crop field to hold rain water and
to cultivate low-saline resilient fish
variety
In the dry season this water is
being used for irrigation
Introduction of area specific
cropping pattern
Knowled
ge/
Resourc
e Used
Combinati
on
of
Indigenou
s
and
Scientific
Knowledg
e
Observations
Saline resistant
crop and fish
species
needs
scientific input,
on the other
hand
local
requirement and
resources needs
to be accounted
Source: Practical Action Bangladesh and ADB, 2013
12

13. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
CBA in Vulnerable Coastal Areas of Bangladesh –
Innovation to Build Resilience
Activities
Name Description
3.
Artifici
al
Aquifer
Tube
well
-
A ring well is placed beside a
rainwater harvesting pond
Ring well’s layers are filled with
gravels and sands
Water flows to the end of the well
through tube
People collects purified water
through a hand pump
Knowled
ge/
Resourc
e Used
Combinati
on
of
Local
Practice
and Area
Specific
Technolo
gy
Observations
Rain
water
harvesting alone
is not sufficient
to provide safe
water
Source: Practical Action Bangladesh and ADB, 2013
13

14. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
CBA in Vulnerable Coastal Areas of Bangladesh –
Innovation to Build Resilience
Activities
Name Description
4.
Commu
nity
Shelter Home
-
-
Semi-pucca house (room 18’X20’;
veranda 6’X13’)
Locally available materials are used
Structural design allows them to
withstand high-wind speed
Plinth is above the highest storm
surge-induced flood level
Equipped with a 2000-litter rain water
harvesting
During disaster events serves as a
community shelter
Knowled Observations
ge/
Resourc
e Used
Combinati
on of Local
Practice
and Area
Specific
Technolog
y
High
cost
of
cyclone
shelter
introduces
this
alternative. Local
knowledge about
the magnitude of
the disaster and
location
specific
building
material
has been utilized.
Source: Practical Action Bangladesh and ADB, 2013
14

15. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Scientific Knowledge Vs Lay Knowledge
Accessibility, Purpose and Scale
• Local people face difficulties using scientific information due
to lack of accessibility and expertise
• Climate models are still weak in terms of spatial and
temporal scale
• Data from meteorological station do not fulfill the specific
and changing demand of the farmers due to climate
variability, they have to rely on their own
• Scientific data needs to verified with local data to ensure
credibility
(Christian Aid, 2009; Reid et al., 2009)
15

16. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Scientific Knowledge Vs Lay Knowledge
Reliance
• Local communities has less confidence on scientific data in
question of reliability, in contrast scientists are reluctant
about local data because of subjectivity and lacking in
rigorous (Gaillard and Maceda, 2009)
• Gill (1991, cited in Reid et al., 2009) compared rainfall
patterns recorded by Nepali farmers using rainfall calendars
with the ‘real’ data recorded at the nearby weather station,
and found a remarkably good fit when comparing modal
rainfall.
16

17. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Scientific Knowledge Vs Lay Knowledge
Convergence
• Murdoch and Clark (1994, cited in Taylor and de Loë, 2012)
argue that it is difficult to distinguish between ‘‘people’s
science’’ and ‘‘scientists’ science’’ because the knowledge
that various actors possess is a result of ‘‘knowledge
encounters’’ where local and scientific perspectives get
mixed up.
• Raymond et al. (2010) highlight the convergence of the local
knowledge of farmers and scientific knowledge in Western
culture due to increased participation by farmers in formal
academic training and learning.
• Local knowledge can also be held by scientists and
17
technicians working in local offices. Thus, individuals can

18. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Findings
• Local knowledge is significant equally as the scientific
knowledge (in some cases exceeds) in environmental
decision making and planning, in the era of complex
challenge imposed by climate change, to adapt and sustain.
• Public participation from the beginning of the development
planning can make the process more focused, legitimate,
resource optimized and worthy.
18

19. Broader
Debate
Subdebate
CBA
Case
Study
Analysis
Further
Debate
Participation in True Sense ?
• Often the priorities and interests of outsiders over-ride those
of communities, and there is still a lot of ‘doing to’
communities, rather than communities taking charge (Reid
at al., 2009; Few et.al, 2007)
Linear Trend of Government to Governance ?
• Tatenhove and Leroy (2003) argue, we should not assume
that increased involvement of stakeholders in the decisionmaking process is necessarily symptomatic of a loss of state
power.
• It is vital not to confuse ‘a hollowing-out of state forms with
19

20. References:
Ballard, H.L., Fernandez-Gimenez, M.E. and Sturtevant, V.E. (2008). Integration of Local Ecological
Knowledge and Conventional Science: A Study of Seven Community-Based Forestry Organizations in the
USA. Ecology and Society, 13(2), p.37. [online]. Available from:
http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/2424/ES-2008-2594.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed:
November 15, 2013].
Banglapedia. (2012). Satkhira District. Banglapedia - National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. [online].
Available from: http://www.banglapedia.org/HT/S_0156.htm [Accessed: November 18, 2013].
Bulkeley, H. and Mol, A.P.J. (2003). Participation and Environmental Governance: Consensus, Ambivalence
and Debate. Environmental Values, 12(2), pp.143–154. [online]. Available from:
http://www.erica.demon.co.uk/EV/EV1207.html [Accessed: November 17, 2013].
Christian Aid. (2009). Developing a Climate Change Analysis H. Reid et al., eds. Participatory Learning and
Action (PLA) : Community-based Adaptation to Climate Change, 60, pp.141–48. [online]. Available from:
http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/14573IIED.pdf [Accessed: November 15, 2013].
Evans, J.P. (2012). Participation and Politics. In Environmental Governance. Oxon: Routledge, pp. 187–209.
Few, R., Brown, K. and Tompkins, E.L. (2007). Public Participation and Climate Change Adaptation: Avoiding
the Illusion of Inclusion. Climate Policy, 7(1), pp.46–59. [online]. Available from:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14693062.2007.9685637 [Accessed: November 18, 2013].
Hommes, S. et al. (2008). Knowledge and Perceptions in Participatory Policy Processes: Lessons from the
Delta-Region in the Netherlands. Water Resources Management, 23(8), pp.1641–1663. [online]. Available
from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11269-008-9345-6 [Accessed: November 18, 2013].
Jean Christophe Gaillard and Maceda, E.A. (2009). Participatory Three-Dimensional Mapping for Disaster Risk
Reduction H. Reid et al., eds. Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) : Community-based Adaptation to
Climate Change, 60, pp.109–118. [online]. Available from: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/14573IIED.pdf
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[Accessed: November 15, 2013].

21. References:
Raymond, C.M. et al. (2010). Integrating Local and Scientific knowledge for Environmental Management.
Journal of Environmental Management, 91(8), pp.1766–1777. [online]. Available from:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0301479710000952 [Accessed: October 5, 2013].
Reid, H. et al. (2009). Community-based Adaptation to Climate Change: an Overview H. Reid et al., eds.
Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) : Community-based Adaptation to Climate Change, 60, pp.9–34.
[online]. Available from: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/14573IIED.pdf [Accessed: November 15, 2013].
Van Tatenhove, J.P.M. and Leroy, P. (2003). Environment and Participation in a Context of Political
Modernisation. Environmental Values, 12(2), pp.155–174. [online]. Available from:
http://www.erica.demon.co.uk/EV/EV1208.html [Accessed: November 17, 2013].
Taylor, B. and de Loë, R.C. (2012). Conceptualizations of Local Knowledge in Collaborative Environmental
Governance. Geoforum, 43(6), pp.1207–1217. [online]. Available from:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S001671851200067X [Accessed: October 5, 2013].
Taylor, M. (2007). Community Participation in the Real World: Opportunities and Pitfalls in New Governance
Spaces. Urban Studies, 44(2), pp.297–317. [online]. Available from:
http://usj.sagepub.com/cgi/doi/10.1080/00420980601074987 [Accessed: November 17, 2013].
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22. Thanks for
you patience
Q/A
Comments