China (Hunan and Jiangxi) – Stakeholder Engagement Demonstration

The overall objective of this project is to promote improved environmental governance in China by demonstrating the positive impact and value of public participation in the environmental remediation process. The project is doing so by providing the Government of China a tool for public engagement that is adapted to the Chinese circumstances, and testing it in two pilot remediation projects. In this way, local Chinese environment agencies will gain first hand experience implementing the protocol and its methodology. They will experience how engaging the public in an open, transparent manner can benefit them not only in terms of improvements in community relations and building trust, but also in the success and sustainability of remediation projects they implement. In the process, public participation in environmental decision-making will be enhanced, and local communities will benefit from reduced exposures to toxic pollution. Project partners include China Research Centre for Public Policy, China Society of Economic Reform (CRCPP) and the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, China Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR-CAS), as well as local environment agencies, Hunan Research Academy of Environmental Science, Jiangxi Academy of Environmental Sciences, and South China Institute of Environmental Sciences.