The relevance of participatory approaches in integrated environmental assessment

Abstract

Integrated environmental assessment is a booming field. Its intellectual challenges, its relevance for real life problems, and its generous financial support have attracted many researchers who either assess the environment in an integrated manner, or purport or pretend to do so. This has led to a wide and diverse range of research and policy activities, all sharing the nominator of integrated environmental assessment. This paper has a twofold objective. Firstly, it discusses the main approaches to Integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA). IEA is meant to deliver usable (scientific) knowledge to environmental policy making. In order to achieve its goal, IEA frequently uses an integrated assessment modelling approach, but it may also use a participatory approach. Modelling and participatory approaches are sometimes considered irreconcilable, since they are different in scope, use different kinds of methods and may even be based on conflicting epistemologies. However, as this paper will argue, they are increasingly recognised as mutual reinforcing approaches. They need each other in order to improve decision making on complex environmental issues by identifying, using and integrating a broad body of knowledge available from different sources. Therefore, the second objective of this paper is to show the mutual interdependence of participatory and modelling approaches in assisting policy-making. It thereby gives special attention to the various goals and functions of IEA. The contributions of IEA to science are beyond the scope of this paper. Section 2 defines the concept of integrated assessment and explores its possible goals and functions in assisting environmental policy-making. Sections 3 and 4 succinctly provide an overview of approaches to integrated assessment. The authors, working in both fields of IEA, have tried not to hide the mutual differences. Especially the strengths and weaknesses of each approach in assisting environmental policy-making are assessed. Section 3 introduces and explains integrated assessment modelling, while section 4 focuses on participatory integrated assessment. Section 5 takes a different angle in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of modelling and participatory approaches. It discusses three examples of what may go wrong if either one of the approaches stands alone. Section 6 presents conclusions as regards possibilities for combining modelling and participation in IEA.