ABSTRACT
Birmingham has a population of ethnic communities of 206,000 which exceeds the entire population of Blackburn; the population of Blackburn itself stands at 136,400, with an ethnic community population of 21,000. In common with many other non-participating groups in society, black and white ethnic community groups need facilitation to go through the same process of engagement with environmental participation. The preservation and conservation of wildlife and of the significant natural areas which are left are of course of paramount importance, but the context for environmental participation is much wider. Many different definitions for ‘community’ have been proposed which attempt to address different scenarios, adapted to the agendas and the perceived client groups of environmental organisations. Sustainable development means working towards an integrated society and subsequently an integrated world. The manner in which their agendas are framed are, in the main, restrictive and strait-jacketed, making it difficult for the necessary multi-faceted, innovative and dynamic approaches to community participation to be possible.
