Emancipating inhabitants in order to support environmental public policies: An evaluation of a pilot scheme on adaptive governance

This article evaluates a participatory process called “Mon village espace de biodiversité” (My Village Biodiversity Space). It aims to make the inhabitants of a group of villages aware of their knowledge and their power to act within their territory, thus enabling the development of a constructive dynamic of actions for the commons in their most basic forms (protection of nature and of social ties). Above all, these actions require and foster close and legitimate social ties with local institutions, whose elected officials and employees are invited to get involved alongside the inhabitants.