Environmental Management: Principles and practice

BOX 6.1 An overview of EIA
The following observations describe EIA:
♦ It is proactive assessment, and should be initiated pre-project/programme/
policy, before development decisions are made. In-project/programme/policy
and post-project/programme/policy assessment are common. While these
may not allow much problem avoidance, they can advise on problem
mitigation, gather data, feed into future impact assessment, improve damage
control and the exploitation of unexpected benefits.
♦ It is systematic evaluation of all significant environmental (including social
and economic) consequences an action is likely to have upon the environment.
♦ It is a process leading to a statement to guide decision makers.
♦ It is a structured, systematic, comprehensive approach.
♦ It is a learning process and means to find the optimum development path.
♦ It is a process by which information is collected and assessed to determine
whether it is wise to proceed with a proposed development.
♦ It is an activity designed to identify and predict the impacts of an action on
the biogeophysical environment and on human health and well-being, and
to interpret and communicate information about such impacts.
♦ It is a process which forces (or should force) developers to reconsider
proposals.
♦ It is a process which has the potential to increase developers’ accountability
to the public.
♦ It usually involves initial screening and scoping (to determine what is to be
subjected to EIA, and decide what form the assessment should take).
♦ It should be subject to independent, objective review of results.
♦ It should publish a clear statement of identified impacts with an indication
of their significance (especially if any are irreversible).
♦ It should include a declaration of possible alternative development options,
including nil-development, and their likely impacts.
♦ Ideally there should be public participation in EIA (often it is partial or
avoided).
♦ There should be effective integration of EIA into the planning/legal process.
Source: Part-based on Barrow, 1997: Box 1.1, p. 3

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, HAZARD AND RISK MANAGEMENT
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