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Description
In Romania, environmental national policies are developed in an one-way approach (”top-down”), so being less efficient and effective. Strategic planning should be based not only on higher rank strategies but also on problems and solutions identified locally. Thus, feedback from the civil society is ”a must” before any strategy can be approved. Moreover, citizen consultation is rather passive and the accountability of the authorities is sparse and partial, leading to a difficult decision-making process that is hard to be traced by the citizens. This project aims for 2 NGOs to assume the active binding role between citizens and authorities by providing two participative instruments for strategic planning which will ensure citizen involvement and accountability of decisions. These instruments usage (web platform and the mobile application E-Feedback) will be done within a Cooperation Platform framework committed through a Protocol signed by authorities, institutions and civil society representatives (35 entities). The functionality of the Instruments and Cooperation Platform will be put to test in Maramures county, as model representative area, by: i) reviewing the existent Strategy for development of the natural patrimony in Maramures, ii) by developing a Study of impact and resources needed to implement the EU Strategy on biodiversity for 2030 based on a national replicable Methodology. Participative instruments will be promoted to the citizens by an itinerant Caravan in at least 45 communities. Direct project beneficiaries are the citizens of the county, sectoral authorities and political decision-makers but also civil society representative. WWF Romania-Maramures Branch (WWF-Maramures Branch) has a vast experience in promoting sustainable and inter-sectoral approach in local development. GeoMMed holds valuable expertise in strategic planning and development of cooperation for biodiversity conservation.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the need for a national environmental policy developed through an approach based on locally identified solutions. In the country, such policies are traditionally created using a one-way, top-down approach that lacks efficiency. The formal context for the participatory process within the project was established through the revitalization of the N2000 MM Cooperation Platform, which was facilitated by a protocol involving authorities, institutions, and representatives of civil society.
The N2027MM Strategy was developed collaboratively through workshops with Platform members, later presented at a county-level seminar, and subsequently submitted to the County Council. An impact assessment methodology for implementing the EU Biodiversity 2030 Strategy was created, forming the basis for a national-level impact study. Recommendations derived from this study were forwarded to sectoral decision-makers at the national level. The two project partners acted as facilitators between citizens and authorities, offering two participatory strategic planning tools: a web tool and the E-Feedback mobile application. These tools, designed to ensure citizen involvement and shared decision-making responsibility, were promoted, tested, and refined during the Promotion Caravan.
Key project outcomes included the methodology and impact study, the two tools for active citizen participation, the collaboration protocol, and the N2027MM Platform Strategy, which collectively established a framework for future local collaborations, discussions, and initiatives. In the long term, the sustainability of the instruments developed and the county strategic planning process is expected to be ensured through the ongoing operation of the Platform Secretariat.