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Library Participatory Rural Appraisal Approaches for Public Participation in EIA: Lessons from South Africa

Participatory Rural Appraisal Approaches for Public Participation in EIA: Lessons from South Africa

Participatory Rural Appraisal Approaches for Public Participation in EIA: Lessons from South Africa
Volume 8 Issue 10

Resource information

Date of publication
September 2019
Resource Language
ISBN / Resource ID
10.3390/land8100150
License of the resource

Public participation in environmental impact assessment (EIA) often falls short of the requirements of best practice in the move towards sustainable development, particularly for disadvantaged and marginalized communities. This paper explores the value of a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) approach for improved public participation in a sample of EIA’s for photovoltaic projects in South Africa. PRA was conducted post facto making use of selected PRA tools. Findings show that a great deal more information was obtained by the PRA approach, confirming the perceived weakness of traditional PP for vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. It is concluded that a PRA approach has considerable potential for improving meaningful public participation, which should improve EIA, build capacity in those communities, and enhance livelihoods and sustainable resource use.

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Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s)

Sandham, A. Luke
Chabalala, J. Jason
Spaling, H. Harry

Publisher(s)
Data Provider
Geographical focus