Towards a Better Understanding of CommunityInvolvement for Achieving EnvironmentallySustainable Development

The notion of app lying a participatory approach tovarious areas of'boih environmental protec tion anddeve lopment has gained ground in internationalpolicy- and law-ma king since the adoption of therio declaration in 1992 . the declaration presentsthe par ticipatory approach as an import antprocedural aspect of environmenta l managementand decision-making within sustainab ledevelopment and req uires govern ment s to employ itas far as possib le. the declaration also recognisesthe important and some times centra l role played bylocal and indigenous communities and theirknowledge and practices - their intangible culturalheritage - in ensuring that the usc of naturalresources is environmenta lly susta inable. takentoge ther , these two principles can be understood torequire governments to ensure a high degree oflocal community involvement at al l stages ofenvironmental protection (from policy-making tomanage men t), an approach endorsed in variousenvironmental treaties adop ted in or since 1992.the convention on safe guardi ng intangiblecultura l heritage adopted by unes co in 200 3 isthe most recent treat y in this area to take thi sapproach and it is interesting both for the way itplaces the community at the centre ofactions for itsimplementation and also since it estab lishes anintergovernmental committee whose main taskinvo lves the development of oper ation al dire ctivesfor this treaty. since employing a part icipator)'approach that requires the direct invo lvement oflocal communities in areas tradit ionally reserved togovernment is a comp lex and difficu lt question, it ishoped that the future practice of the intergovernmentalcommittee of the 2003 convention may provideguidance on this not on ly for that treaty but also forother env ironmental treaties. given the uncertaintysurrounding both the identification of the secommunities referred to in environmental treatiesand , more prob lematically, the exact content oftheir participation in environmental protection, iwish here to examine these further in an attem pt togive them more clarity