Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
7
species management
Souad Boudjelas
Pest problems cannot be solved without community support, but communities fi rst need
educating.
Tim Low
This chapter reviews public participation in invasive alien species (IAS) manage-
ment. It explores why public participation is important, from ethical, legal, and
practical standpoints. How the public engages in IAS management through dif-
ferent modes will be considered and related to the varying drivers of individual
initiatives. Examples presented throughout the chapter and more detailed case
studies will illustrate the value of public participation. The chapter concludes
with a discussion on how to maximize public participation through the process of
mainstreaming.
Why involve the public when managing IAS? There are three answers to this ques-
tion: ethics, legal compliance, and effectiveness.
Public participation is a central tenet of any democratic country; it is considered
the public's right to be consulted and heard on key issues that directly affect them.
Public participation provides the mechanisms for inclusion of the public's values
and ideas into the process. Such a consultative culture is also thought to extend
good citizenship.
As IAS management is a component of environment and resource management,
many of the compliance aspects of IAS derive from more general environment
