Public participation is established within the legislative requirement to mine within South Africa, and it assists citizens in engaging with environmental oversight, but the process can be too complex, especially for those with limited computer access or literacy skills.
Enter Ripl, a digital public participation platform. Ripl simplifies the PPP, making it easy for ordinary citizens to register as interested and affected parties and submit comments directly from their smartphones. With centralized information on mining applications, simplified registration, smart forms, and SMS alerts, Ripl ensures that citizens’ voices are heard and delivered straight to Environmental Assessment Practitioners.
At the launch, there was a panel discussion with scientific, legal and community experts such as Kirstin Meiring a Senior Programme Officer at South African National Biodiversity Institute, Merle Sowman a Professor of Environmental and Geographical Science, Peter Owies the community leader of Doringbaai, and Patrick Forbes the head of the legal department at Protect the West Coast, to name a few. Discussions ranged from the richness of biodiversity along the west coast to the local community’s concern over the lack of consideration and respect toward their way of life.
We view Ripl as an excellent tool which should enhance public participation and education, and at the same time increase environmental oversight! Thank you to Protect the West Coast for an amazing event showcasing Ripl.
For more information on Ripl and how to use it: https://protectthewestcoast.org/ripl/
On the 5th of November, our team attended the official launch of Ripl, an initiative started by Protect the West Coast. Ripl is a digital platform that aims at revolutionizing the public participation process (PPP), particularly within the mining sector.
Public participation is established within the legislative requirement to mine within South Africa, and it assists citizens in engaging with environmental oversight, but the process can be too complex, especially for those with limited computer access or literacy skills.
Enter Ripl, a digital public participation platform. Ripl simplifies the PPP, making it easy for ordinary citizens to register as interested and affected parties and submit comments directly from their smartphones. With centralized information on mining applications, simplified registration, smart forms, and SMS alerts, Ripl ensures that citizens’ voices are heard and delivered straight to Environmental Assessment Practitioners.
At the launch, there was a panel discussion with scientific, legal and community experts such as Kirstin Meiring a Senior Programme Officer at South African National Biodiversity Institute, Merle Sowman a Professor of Environmental and Geographical Science, Peter Owies the community leader of Doringbaai, and Patrick Forbes the head of the legal department at Protect the West Coast, to name a few. Discussions ranged from the richness of biodiversity along the west coast to the local community’s concern over the lack of consideration and respect toward their way of life.
We view Ripl as an excellent tool which should enhance public participation and education, and at the same time increase environmental oversight! Thank you to Protect the West Coast for an amazing event showcasing Ripl.
For more information on Ripl and how to use it: https://protectthewestcoast.org/ripl/