The Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment (EA) Index of Useful Resources is a compilation of Internet Web sites that are related to public participation techniques, tools and practices in regards to environmental assessment undertaken in developing and Central and Eastern Europe countries. In this day and age of information, it is often difficult to know where to turn to find the necessary information. The aim of this Index is to serve as a preliminary guide to information that may prove helpful in dealing with environmental impact assessment (EIA).

With the multitude of sites available of the Internet, we have attempted to be very selective in choosing sites for this Index to provide a cross section of available materials. Included in this Index is a short summary of information that will be found on each site. The links included in the Index have each been tested, but due to the nature of the Internet, the perfect functioning of each site cannot be guaranteed.

Inclusion of commercial entities in this Index does not represent an endorsement by CIDA or the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA). Users of the Index will need to determine the usefulness of the sites mentioned. "Participation" and "consultation" have fast become the development catchwords of the decade. Both are open to a broad range of interpretation and have come to mean different things to different people. Where used appropriately, participatory methods can assist a community to explore its situation, articulate its needs and act to address them. However, participation has also been co-opted by the state and development insitutions in a token way, to inform or gain assent for a project already committed to, or for outright manipulation. This situation makes it critical to venture beyond the rethoric of the approach and into the deeper meanings and dynamics that are involved with participatory processes,

This Index has been prepared by Melisa Hoard, Melanie McDonald and Jacqueline Bilodeau for the Environmental Assessment and Compliance Unit of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).