Potentialities for a regional public participation framework in Asia: An environmental assessment perspective

This study attempts to investigate the potential to develop a regional framework of public participation (PP) in environmental assessments (EA) within Asia. In so-doing, this paper examines the status quo of public participation in EA within Asia from a legislative point of view. The existing situation of EA in Asia is first examined, followed by an analysis on the status and challenges of PP within the region’s environmental assessments. Eight Asian countries subject for this research have all implemented EA at different degrees, yet challenges of enforcement remain. Possible solutions to these challenges are to first improve and standardize the legal framework and implementation mechanism in each individual country, as a first step leading to a transboundary framework in Asia. PP within EA is legally defined in some countries, but it is not widely practiced. Multi-stakeholder process is suggested as a potential tool that comprehensively covers the components necessary for PP promotion. There are information gaps between countries, which could be improved by creating a regional agency governing information exchange. Limited collaboration among countries, likewise, could be improved by bilateral or multilateral environmental agreements.