This project draws on participation as a core strategy for developing collaborative approaches to making decisions about, and assessing, the state of the environment. Calabash is a capacity building and research programme operating at the community and government level in an effort to ensure that those involved in EIA have the capacity to use public participation (PP) more effectively in EIA. The project also focuses on how PP can be used more effectively if the project is community-generated, or for projects that are sponsored by external proponents. The idea is that participation can be a tool for closing the gap between regulators and community-based organisations (CBOs)/communities with respect to public participation in EIA.

Calabash is meant to build a bridge between civil society and the regulators so that the public and local communities are invited and welcomed into the PP phase of the EIA process. To that end, the programme has developed outputs which are publicly available; they draw on a variety of communication strategies. For example, the idea of connecting people with each other is key. SAIEA has developed a 600-person contact group in the region that represents those involved in EA and PP, such as regulators, private sector, civil society and practitioners. These people were to be the key “levers” of change for the 14 countries of the SADC region. As part of this process, a Project Advisory Team of 30 people from across the SADC region - drawn from the 600-person list - advised Calabash on a regular basis on how the programme should evolve to meet the needs of the region.

Calabash has also developed various research- and thinking-oriented publications, beginning with a Situation Assessment on the status of EIA and PP in the SADC region. (This document proved to be the foundation upon which the programme would be built, as it identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to PP in the region). Following this, a Communications Strategy was produced which outlined how the outputs of the Calabash programme were to be broadcast and made accessible to the SADC region and abroad. The project has also developed the following materials:

• "A Guide to Opportunities for Public Participation in Environmental Assessment Processes in the Southern Africa Development Community." - This handbook contains a description of all the rights that communities and the public have to participate in environmental decision-making as conferred by international, regional and SADC region conventions, as well as laws and policies related to EIA and decision-making. This document approaches the rights issue from "an opportunity to participate" perspective, and is formatted around several key questions for each SADC country.
• "A One-Stop Participation Guide: A Handbook of Public Participation in Environmental Assessment in Southern Africa." - Includes lessons learned from SAIEA's research into 6 case studies in the SADC region where EIA and PP were carried out with distinction. The Handbook offers tips, and details the process to follow for PP from the perspective of the 4 key stakeholders that are, according to SAIEA, part of any PP process: regulators, industry, practitioners and civil society. The Handbook also contains a PP Best Practice Model, a PP Review Template which can be used during the review or planning of a PP programme, and a series of template letters which civil society can use to ensure that their voices are heard and respected in a PP process.
• "Generic Public Participation Terms of Reference" - Designed to foster civil society engagement for those involved in a point EIA (e.g., a mine site), linear EIA (e.g., a pipeline), or a regional strategic environmental assessment. Also included in the document are guidelines and tips on how to develop Terms of Reference that ensure that all contracting parties achieve maximum satisfaction and results throughout the duration of the relationship for a particular project.
• An Electronic Library of Public Participation and Civil Society Engagement - The library has gathered materials from the SADC region, Africa and around the world; over 250 resources and manuals may be accessed on the Calabash website. (The Calabash website also includes newsletters, a chat forum, Calabash planning workshop proceedings and a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) analysis tool to determine how well the environment is being integrated into the PRSP process).
• 2005 Desk-Top Calendar - Devotes text for each month to the benefits of civil society engagement.
• A wall poster produced in cooperation with the Centre for Public Participation, Durban.

In addition to being communicated through the printed and electronic media, project information is also shared through face-to-face contact. For instance, a pilot course on EIA and PP was delivered in Windhoek for 27 participants from across the SADC region and Africa. It is hoped this course will be offered to a wide range of stakeholders when additional funding is secured.

Environment.

Organisers claim that, "Time and time again, studies show that when civil society has a chance to contribute to development planning, the end result is a project or program that has more far reaching direct and indirect development benefits than were originally planned."