On this page we will discuss why public participation is important for people experiencing a lack of service delivery in South Africa. There are many advantages of public participation. Many community problems could be resolved through public participation of the people and the stakeholders involved. Through public participation, different stakeholders such as government, citizens, private companies, religious organizations, and more, can reach consensus on critical matters and push forward the general interests of the communities. Effects of lack of public participation can be very negative and give rise to riots, violent protests, and vandalism.
Reasons why Public participation is important
Below are the Importance of public participation in sustainable development of communities:
- Improved understanding of client expectations and user group needs
- Improved agency understanding of conservation issues
- Improved agency understanding of the role and contribution of the community
- Greater continuity in knowledge
- Ability to build community support for a project and to improve stakeholder relationships
- Improved public understanding of the agency’s responsibilities
- Improved staff and community technical knowledge
- Improved agency credibility within the community
- Improved quality of decision-making by agencies
- Enhancement of social capital and flow-on social and economic benefits
- Enhanced and informed political process
- Greater compliance through increased ownership of a solution
- Greater community advocacy for biodiversity protection
- Greater access to community skills and knowledge
- Improved community understanding of conservation issues and responsibility for conservation outcomes
Sources
Science for Conservation