TERI-KAS conduct Environmental Governance Dialogue focusing on Indian Coastal and Marine Region

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) organized a dialogue on 'Environmental Governance in the Context of Sustainable Development in India focusing on the Coastal and Marine Ecosystem of the country' in Goa from 5-7 April 2013. The one and a half day dialogue was attended by various stakeholders from the coastal region of the country.

The discussions at the dialogue spanned across the diverse viewpoints on coastal resource management and environmental governance of marine ecosystems; the indicators and impacts of climate change, and strategies for adaptation; and the legal framework, institutional arrangements, and capacity developed for addressing these issues. During the course of the dialogue, participants also gave their inputs into three main heads of discussion which were: a) understanding the stakeholder perspectives, development aspirations, and power relations; b) bringing 'knowledge' into science, policy, and taking it to the community; c) handling uncertainty, surprises, and shocks.

This was the third in a series of events planned by TERI and KAS to address the various environmental governance issues in the different ecosystems of India. The two dialogues prior to this focused on the mountain ecosystem and the hot desert ecosystem of the country. After the conclusion of the series, a policy brief based on the discussions will be published and circulated amongst relevant stakeholders, including the government at central, state and local levels, academia, practitioners, business, and civil society.