Methods of Public Participation - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 158

Open houses. These should be held at an accessible location in the community where the
public may view displays, ask questions and discuss issues with the project staff. The
informal nature of such participation may attract individuals who may be dissuaded from
attending formal public meetings. Problems associated with this method include high costs
of providing staff to receive feedback and to discuss the relevant issues.
Personal contact. This involves direct discussions between project staff and individuals who
are particularly interested in the effects of the project. Close personal interaction allows
detailed and complex information to be explained and discussed. However, it is time-con-
suming and therefore many interested persons may fail to participate.
Community liaison staff. Staff employees of the proponent are asked with liaising with
members of the community to provide them with information and to reduce the misinter-
pretation of commitments made by the proponent. Such staff needs to possess good com-
munication skills and have a sound understanding of the project details. Problems of using
liaison staff may arise when the community is widely distributed or is composed of various
ethnic/cultural groups.
Community advisory committees. Consist of members of the public who represent the inter-
ests of the community. They advise the proponent on the project and communicate with
the rest of the community. An effective two-way dialogue can be set up early in the plan-
ning process and should demonstrate the proponent's willingness to work with the com-
munity. Effective participation relies upon the group being representative of the full range
of interests and having regular communication with the public.
Online consultation. Online consultation refers to a process by which the project propo-
nent and/or the government provides opportunities for citizens to submit feedback and
input on a particular project/issue, or participate in discussions with the project propo-
nent/government using the Internet. Within the dei nition of online consultation two sub-
categories or distinctions deserve attention: online feedback and online discussion based
consultations. Online consultation is a relatively new form of consultation, and requires a
well established Internet infrastructure as well as a well educated audience. While online
consultation may well become the preferred consultation method in the future, it is rarely
used in developing countries.
Online feedback. Online feedback refers to a process by which the project proponent and/
or government creates opportunities for citizens to provide feedback and input on a par-
ticular project/issue, using the Internet. Examples of online feedback could include, using
web-based forms, responding to questions in an online poll, or submitting qualitative
responses to a EIS/policy document via email. These activities can be directed toward
the general public or take the form of a targeted consultation with specii c stakeholders
invited to submit expertise and opinion on an issue or policy. Participants are generally
provided with feedback at the end of the process in the form of a i nal report or consulta-
tion summary. Increasingly these feedback-based consultations are becoming more inter-
active through the use of online workbooks, where citizens work through a survey activity
complete with supporting information and interactive decision trees. In this latter exam-
ple, individuals make deliberative choices as they work through specii c policy questions.
Online discussion. Online discussion refers to a process by which the project proponent and/
or the government provide opportunities for citizens to interact with government and one
another in a discussion, debate or online meeting. Feedback and information is generally
provided to participants on an ongoing basis throughout the consultation activity. Unlike
the online feedback process of consultation, online discussion based consultations provide