Civil Society Associations and the Environment

Presented in February 1987 and written in August of the same year, this paper examines the growing role of the associative movement in environmental protection, drawing on comparative law perspectives and situating the Moroccan case within the broader context of the global rise of environmental civil society. The author analyses the growth of environmental protection associations as a manifestation of a 'daily syndicalism' and a silent participatory revolution, reflecting the crisis of representative democracy and citizens' growing need for collective engagement in defence of their living environment, as attested by the emergence of global organisations such as IUCN, WWF, and Greenpeace. The legal analysis focuses on the three essential functions of environmental associations: public awareness and information, environmental monitoring and alerting, and participation in environmental decision-making, comparing the legal arrangements granting associations procedural rights (standing to sue, participation in public inquiries) in different legal systems. The author draws a nuanced assessment of the Moroccan situation, noting the lag of the environmental associative movement compared to industrialised countries, and calls for reform of the legal framework for environmental associations in Morocco to recognise effective rights of information, consultation, and legal action, contributing to the emergence of participatory environmental democracy.