Community Participation and Its Role in Protecting The Environment and Natural Resources

Abstract

Public participation is the process that provides all members of society with opportunities to express their opinions and their role in preparing, tracking and monitoring local plans and projects with the aim of achieving economic, social and political development, improving the quality of life of the population and satisfying their needs fairly without any harm to national interests. Participation works to link individuals' efforts with government assistance, making it one of the most important pillars of the success of plans and developmental policies in society. The research aims to identify the concept of public participation in community development, its importance, determine its goals, characteristics and principles, and highlight the mechanisms of public participation in community development. The research addressed the challenges faced by the participation process, then mentioned the mechanisms and methods of participation through which the conditions for public participation in development programs can be activated. The study showed that there is a desire and positive orientation among community members towards community participation and the significance of its role in the importance of developing the local community. The study recommended the need to expand the scope of community participation in order to enhance the residents’ abilities to confront and address problems, as well as the need to educate residents about the importance of community participation and urge them to participate effectively in development activities and programs. Finally, the study reached a number of results and recommendations.