PROGRESS ON STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Abstract:The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires understanding of both technical issues and, under Article 14, dialogue among stakeholders. To date, consultation with stakeholders, including the general public, has occurred mainly through the establishment of river basin district advisory councils, and following the dissemination of documents, entitled Water matters, outlining significant issues for meeting the WFD's environmental objectives. Here, we review progress in the Republic of Ireland for meeting the goals of Article 14 and examine how that progress compares with a set of principles of best practice for stakeholder participation. Overall, information is generally available, but there are some problems in accessing background information, unprocessed (raw) data and land-use data. While the main issues were outlined in Water matters, the clarity with which these issues were presented, the extensiveness of coverage and the quality of feedback were of concern to some stakeholders. A series of associated public meetings were generally poorly attended. Active involvement, through the advisory councils, appears limited, with no formal process for information dissemination or dialogue with stakeholders. Adoption and promotion of guiding principles of best practice that promote inclusiveness; transparency; commitment, including provision of adequate resources; accountability; a general openness for mutual learning; and improved structures to address stakeholder concerns are likely to provide a more effective process. A complementary approach to meet overall WFD objectives would be to view the WFD as an environmental management system; this provides a continuous process that circumvents pitfalls of imprecise or inappropriate targets, but it is likely to provide more realistic decision support, facilitating stakeholder understanding.