An assessment on environmental governance perception: The case of Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality

Excessive and unconscious use of resources has led to the emergence of environmental problems. The emerging environmental problems have become a problem that concerns the entire world. States have become unable to combat the increasing environmental problems on their own and it has been decided to establish international cooperation. It has been envisaged that environmental problems can only be improved by utilizing the principles of multi-actor, cooperation, transparency and participation in the governance approach. The concept of environmental governance emerged in the process of seeking solutions to global environmental problems and aims to meet the needs of today's generation while also taking into account the needs of future generations. It has been emphasized that a holistic policy should be implemented by ensuring the participation of the private sector and civil society organizations along with the states in the decisions to be taken and the policies to be implemented in the process of combating global environmental problems. According to Article 56 of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, everyone has the right to live in a healthy and balanced environment. In the Environmental Law No. 2872, it is stated that the administration, local and voluntary organizations should act together to improve environmental problems originating from the local. The Local Agenda 21 Program, which was initiated as a result of the Rio Summit and became widespread in our country after 1996, aims to effectively implement governance principles at the local level. The aim of the research is to understand the thoughts and experiences of Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality participants regarding environmental governance and to analyze the participation of relevant actors in decision-making and policy processes regarding environmental issues in local governments. The method of the research was designed as a qualitative research technique. In this context, semi-structured interview technique was used in the study. Interviews were conducted with 35 people using criterion and snowball sampling methods. The obtained data were then subjected to content analysis with the MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2024 program. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the participants had little knowledge about the concept of governance, but they interacted with internal and external actors in the activity processes of Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality regarding environmental issues.