Participation in EU Biodiversity Governance: How Far beyond Rhetoric?

Felix Rauschmayer, Sybille van den Hove and Thomas Koetz
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Felix Rauschmayer: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Sybille van den Hove: ICTA Institute of Environmental Science and Technology and Median SCP, Passeig Pintor Romero 8, Ala, 08197 Valldoreix, Spain
Thomas Koetz: ICTA Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Edificio Ciències, Torre Area 9, 4a planta, C5-432(in1), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain

Environment and Planning C, 2009, vol. 27, issue 1, 42-58

Abstract: We explore the theory and practice of participation in EU biodiversity governance, focusing on the implementation of the Birds and Habitat directives and Natura 2000 at the EU and member-state levels in the cases of France and Germany. We identify three shifts in EU biodiversity governance which potentially lead to intensifying participatory processes, but which may also be induced by more participation: (i) a shift from a top-down state-centred administrative understanding of policy making towards more flexible and bottom-up approaches; (ii) a shift towards more democratic, ‘postnormal’, types of science; and (iii) a shift from a conservation focus towards a more anthropocentric ecosystems goods-and-services approach framed in a normative context of sustainability. We look at whether these shifts happen in practice and also look at the link with participation. At all political levels a big gap remains between the rhetoric on participation and the real-life implementation of participatory processes.

Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envirc:v:27:y:2009:i:1:p:42-58

DOI: 10.1068/c0703j

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