Principle 10 of the RIO DECLARATION recommended public participation to handle environmental issues:

Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, on a relevant level. On a national level, each individual should have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in decision making processes. States should facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making information widely available. Effective access to judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy, should be provided.

Public opinion can also secure conservation gains by resisting inappropriate development completely. an example of this is the preservation of wetland in the delta of the Dnestr River, protected by the Ramsar Convention in Ukraine.

Example: Preservation of wetlands in the delta of the Dnestr River, protected by the Ramsar Convention

When starting the project its initiators chose as its objective finding the compromise between the interests of local residents, capacity of the ecosystem and the necessity to preserve the biological gene pool of the Dnestr delta wetlands.

To achieve this overall objective the following immediate tasks were formulated:

• To persuade (force) the management of Dnestr hydropower plant responsible for the dam to operate in the environment-caring regime, so that flushes of water from the plant pond supported (or caused the least possible damage to) the delta biodiversity.
• To stop further extension of fish-breeding ponds and cultivated lands at the expense of wetland area reduction.
• To stop the use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers in the 2-km river protection zone, to transfer the storages of dangerous chemicals beyond the boundaries of water protection zone.
• To stop the excavation of sand and gravel in the Mid-stream Dnestr, as well as their storage near the riverside and in the delta area.
• To establish the nature protected area in order to preserve the most valuable part of the delta having rare species of birds and mammals.

The long-term tasks were formulated as follows:

• To develop and implement the programme for restoring the damaged wetlands in the delta.
• To establish the National park "Nizhnednestrovsky"
• To cultivate environment consciousness of local residents.
• To provide environmental education for young people.
• To plant trees and bushes in the delta and neighboring villages.