This section of the country profile aims to provide an overview of the main environmental institutions that operate within the country. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive list unless there is a published directory that is available online for browsing or searching. Intergovernmental organizations are not included as these are supra-national.

The growth of the environmental movement, particularly from the 1960s onwards has in parallel seen a rapid growth in the number of environmental institutions at all levels from international down to local level and across a plethora of themes, disciplines and functions.

UNEP’s political focal points are found in the main environmental authority within each country, and the homepage of each country profile provides information on the minister responsible for environmental matters in that country. UNEP also works with a large number of NGOs through the Global Civil Society Forum at a policy-making level but also at a programmatic and technical level for implementing specific component of UNEP’s biennial programme of work.

Prior to the 1972 UN Conference on Environment and Development it was not common to have ministries of environment and environmental protection agencies. However, ministries dealing with water, natural resources, land and so on, did exist. According to the World Directory of Environmental Organizations Online almost all governments of the world's over 200 independent countries and dependent territories have ministries or departments charged with protecting the environment. In many cases, there are two such departments: one dealing with the "environment," the other with "natural resources." Division of responsibility between such departments varies by country. Sometimes "environmental" departments have overarching responsibilities. More often, they deal mainly with pollution control, while "natural resource" departments deal with such matters as managing forests, fisheries, wildlife, and protected areas. Some countries have a more complex array of departments, agencies, autonomous commissions, and institutes involved with environmental protection. To complicate matters further, in countries with federal systems of government such as Australia, Canada, and the United States -- and even the tiny Pacific island country of Palau -- the state or provincial authorities often have substantial responsibilities for environmental protection.

The non-governmental arena is much more diverse and much more populated with a large number of actors playing different roles in different areas and at different levels. Scientific and research institutes are considered to be part of the NGO community.

Again, the World Directory of Environmental Organizations Online describes the situation quite well: There are many kinds of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). They include citizens' associations; professional societies; foundations; some universities and research centers; and networks of experts or institutions.

Some NGOs are membership organizations whose boards are elected by their members; others are run by self-perpetuating boards. Many respected NGOs are governed by self-perpetuating boards. Some such NGOs, however, use the word "membership" in requesting donations; depending on how this is stated, it can be misleading, since such "membership" is really a nonvoting sponsorship or subscription.

NGOs exist at local, national, and international levels. International NGOs are sometimes federations of national organizations. Examples are Friends of the Earth International and the International Federation of Environmental Health.

Environmental NGOs range across a wide spectrum in terms of their politics and the extent to which they work to influence government. Some groups lobby for legislation and work to elect public officials. (In some countries, environmental NGOs are often affiliated with political parties.) Other groups may specialize in such fields as research, training, public education, information dissemination, acquisition and management of protected areas, or convening of stakeholders in environmental conflicts.