Case Studies - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 464

9.5.1.2.6 Public Involvement
As mentioned in Section 9.5.1.1.4, the EPU was established, based on recommen-
dations by the NATO-CCMS Pilot Study Group, to provide stakeholder involvement
in the decision-making process. The EPU consists of city governors, town mayors,
and governmental institutions, but representatives from public and nongovernmental
organizations cannot be members of the EPU under current Turkish legislation.
Therefore, the pilot study group advised the EPU to establish a legal entity to allow
public and nongovernmental organizations to be partners. The pilot study group is
still supervising this legal entity and related institutions to prepare an integrated
sustainable management plan for the watershed.
As part of the social impact assessment studies (see Section 9.5.1.2.7), ques-
tionnaires were prepared and distributed to the inhabitants to provide the opportunity
for additional public involvement. The questionnaire results satisfactorily show the
willingness of the inhabitants to support and participate in planning studies.
9.5.1.2.7 Social Impact Assessment (SIA)
A survey was conducted to evaluate the benefits to households from reduced pollu-
tion loads by operating common water and wastewater treatment systems in the
Koycegiz-Dalyan area. During the survey period the construction of wastewater
treatment facilities had just been completed. According to an agreement signed
between the Turkish Government and the German grant authority KfW, after com-
pletion of the system, the contractor would operate the plants for 1 year and the
inhabitants would not be charged during that period. After that period, the EPU
would be responsible for the operation of the system. Thus, the EPU attempted to
plan a billing process for operation of water and wastewater systems.
Since the contingent valuation method (CVM) is the only practical means of
estimating the environmental benefits and willingness to pay, this method was
applied in the Koycegiz-Dalyan area in June 2002 by the project team, who are
the authors of this chapter. CVM is a method that attempts to elicit information
about individual preferences for goods or services. Generally, if policy makers want
to know people's opinions regarding the quality of life of the area in which they
live, the CVM is the only available benefit estimation procedure. 38 Of the three
interview methods—by mail, telephone, or in person—for a CV study, personal
interviews were preferred. A contingent valuation (CV) survey has three basic parts.
First, a hypothetical description of the terms under which the good or service to
be offered is presented to the respondent. Second, the respondent is asked one or
more questions to try to determine how much he or she would value a good or
service if actually presented with the opportunity to obtain it under the specified
terms or conditions. Third, a CV survey includes a series of questions about the
socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the respondent and his or her
family.
The questionnaire was designed based on these three basic components of the CV
survey, and it contains 37 questions, 20 of which are related with first and second
components. A total of 17 questions are about the socio-economic and demographic
characteristics of the people. Households were asked about their willingness to pay