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Chapter3: EIA in land use and development

3.1 Role of EIA in land usage

oLand allows various uses and can satisfy diverse objectives.
oA large part of things we did (production of goods,
transportation, housing,...) require the land .
oThus, the concept of land use refers to a series of activities
undertaken to generate one or more products or services.
oLand use is characterized by the arrangements, activities
and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover type to
produce, change or maintain it.
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o EIA involves balancing the economic, social, and

environmental impacts of land use decisions and actions.
o EIA is a systematic process of identifying, evaluating, and
mitigating the potential effects of a proposed project or
plan on the natural and human environment.
o EIA is a process that aims to provide information and
analysis on the likely consequences of a proposed land use
change or development on the environment and society.
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o EIA is a valuable and powerful tool that can help achieve a

balance between the economic, social, and environmental
aspects of land use and development.
o EIA is a key tool for ensuring that land development is
sustainable, socially acceptable, and compliant with
relevant laws and regulations.
o EIA Provides clear, understandable information for decision
makers on the potential consequences of development
proposals on land use.
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oIt Provides a clear and itemized list of relevant

impacts on the land use and environment.
oBased on the results of the impact assessment, EIA
lists the adverse effects of proposed actions on the
land.
oEIA is important to systematically characterize the
impacts on the land based on their characteristics.
oA core part of impact management on land use is
developing an environmental management plan
(EMP) which is usually prepared as part of EIA
reporting.
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oAn EMP translates recommended mitigation measures into

specific actions that will be carried out by the proponent.
oThe content of the EMP can be summarized as follows:
1. Mitigation
2. Monitoring
3. Capacity Development
4. Implementation Schedule and Cost Estimates
5. Integration of the EMP with the Project
oContingency plan: the plan needs to specify
emergency response actions.
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o EIA must include an EMP that provides a comprehensive

plan to prevent, mitigate, correct, compensate for, or restore
environmental impacts that could occur. The EMP must
also include a budget, timelines, and definitions of
responsibilities for implementing these measures.
o EIA must identify and address applicable environmental
standards, norms, and requirements set forth at the
international, national, regional and/or local levels including
those designed to meet the objectives of resource
management and/or land use plans.
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o EIA must identify and address Specific commitments,

including who is responsible, what will be done, when and
how it will be monitored, reported and audited to confirm
that commitments are met.
Land use
o Actual and potential showing location, size and proximity
within and surrounding the project area, including land use
maps, and to extent possible, integrated into one map.
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5. Wetlands and Mangrove

6. Other environmentally sensitive areas
7. Tourism and recreation areas
7.1 Recreation facilities
7.2 Eco-cultural-tourist locations
8. Culturally sensitive areas
9. Flood plains and water bodies
10. Coastal zones
11. Other land uses as appropriate
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1. Population centers, including information and locations of

1.1 Schools
1.2 Cemeteries
1.3 Churches
1.4 Other public buildings
1.5 Housing (including housing density)
1.6 Commercial areas
2. Agricultural lands
3. Forested lands
4. Protected areas (including but not limited to)
4.1 National parks
4.2 Wildlife area
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3.2 EIA in land usage development

o The conversion of land from one use to another is the

generally accepted definition of land development.
o The definition is confined to land conversion associated
with the modern communities that are being constructed, or
reconstructed, for people to live, work, worship, shop, and
play.
o It is the systematic assessment of land potential balanced
with environmental impacts and current and future
demands.
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o The primary goal of land-use planning is to balance the

needs of the resident population with the needs of the
environment.
o Land-use is divided into residential, commercial, industrial,
institutional, agricultural, tourism and urban development,
wildlife, conservation/forestry and protected lands.
o The intention of land-use planning is to adopt and put into
practice those land-uses that will satisfy the needs of the
people while preserving resources for the future.
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o The Physical Planning Act provides the legislative

framework for the integration of the EIA process into the
planning system.
EIA Physical Planning Screening Process
o The first step in the process is screening and the list of
projects for which an EIA is required.
o Chief Physical Planner also has to give considerations to
the following issues and make an independent judgment
about the level of EIA required:
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• the nature of the development activity proposed;

• the geographic extent, scale and location of the proposed
development;
• the extent and significance of the changes to the
environment likely to be caused by the proposed
development;
• the extent of general knowledge about the nature of the
proposed development and its likely impact on the
environment;
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• any development plan for the area; and

• any other matter as may be prescribed in the regulations
o Having determined that an environmental impact
assessment is required, the Authority is required to notify
the applicant or the person responsible in a written notice.
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EIA and Development Planning

oEIA has an important role to play resolving
environmental problems through its ability to
contribute to environmentally sound and sustainable
development.
oDevelopment planning is designed in various stages.
1. National Planning
•The aim of national planning is to set broad economic,
environmental, and
social development goals for the country's continuing
development.
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2. Regional Planning
• Regional planning defines broad land use allocations for a
geographic region, normally at the sub-country level.
• At the regional level, the approach should
integrate environmental concerns into development
planning.
• Such regional plans can set the context for
project-level EIA.
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3.Sectroral Planning
•Sectoral planning focuses on the needs of individual
development sectors (for example, energy, transport, and
forestry).
•At the sectoral level, environmental guidelines and sectoral
reviews and strategies should be formulated and integrated
into various sectoral plans.
•This will help to address specific environmental problems
that may be encountered in planning and
implementing sectoral development projects.
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4. Project Planning
• At the project planning level, EIA is the primary tool for
integrating environmental considerations into project
design and execution.
•Project proponents and regulatory agencies prefer to
consider the environmental impacts of a single project.
•The absence of regional and sectoral planning increases
the time duration and cost involved in the preparation of
the EIA report and thus project approval becomes costly
and time-consuming.
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o EIA Inputs to the Project Cycle:

• Indeed, in many countries EIA must be an integral part of
the feasibility study.
• Another major trigger for EIA is project financing.
• In many cases, a review of the project's EIA is
a mandatory requirement of financing.
• A generalized project cycle can be described in terms of six
main stages:
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1. project concept
2. pre-feasibility
3. feasibility
4. design and engineering
5. implementation; and
6. monitoring and evaluation.
o Most EIA put importance on pre-feasibility study and
feasibility study, while implementation, monitoring,
evaluations are not.
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oAs described below each step of EIA process has its own
objectives for each step
•Identification (Pre-feasibility Study): Early in the project
cycle, the EIA process involves the site selection, screening,
initial assessment, and scoping of significant issues.
•Preparation (Feasibility Study): EIA must be an integral part
of the project feasibility study.
•Detailed Design : The environmental management plan is
put into effect during the implementation of a
project (including construction, operation, maintenance).
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• Implementation (Monitoring and Evaluation):

The evaluation of monitoring results is necessary to ensure
that the environmental objectives are achieved and, if
necessary, the project modifications or remedial measures
are undertaken to address unforeseen impacts.
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Outputs in the Development Planning Decision

oThe main goal of EIA is to influence development
decision-making by providing sound information
on environmental impacts and also the means for
preventing or reducing the adverse effects on
the environment.
oThree major outputs of the EIA process provide the
primary means for integrating the results of a specific
EIA into the development planning decision process
and the concurrent environmental regulatory process.
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1. Identification and analysis of the environmental effects of

proposed activities (including their
probability of occurrence);
2. Environmental management plan which outlines the
mitigation measures to be undertaken; and
3. Environmental monitoring program which outlines the
data that must be collected during the
implementation of the project.
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o Environmental management is usually integrated

into the project management system associated
with the construction, operation, and maintenance
of the project.
oEIA Analysis: EIA analysis has three sequential
phases, that is, identification, prediction, and
assessment.
oEnvironmental Management Plan: One of the goals
of the EIA process is to develop an implemental set
of environmental protection measures.
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o Environmental protection measures are taken to:

1. mitigate environmental impacts;
2. provide in-kind compensation for lost environmental
resources; or
3 . enhance environmental resources.
o A well-structured environmental management plan usually
covers all phases of the project from pre-construction to
decommissioning.
o The plan defines:
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• the technical work program to carry out this plan, including

details of the required tasks and reports, and the necessary
staff skills, supplies, and equipment;
• a detailed accounting of the estimated costs to implement
the plan; and
• the planned operation for the implementation of the plan,
including a staffing chart and proposed schedules of
participation by the various members of the project team,
and an outline of activities and inputs from various
governmental agencies.
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o Environmental Monitoring Plan:

• Environmental monitoring involves the systematic
collection of data to determine:
1. the actual environmental effects of a project;
2. the compliance of the project with regulatory standards;
3. the degree of implementation of environmental
protection measures and their successful application.
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3.3 EIA case studies on land usage

o Case study is based on the following outline:

1. Project name
2. sector
3. location
4. Project Information
5. Project Area:
• As per the terms of reference, the analysis of the area of
influence must include, abiotic, biotic and socioeconomic
factors, and may incorporate larger or smaller areas
depending on these elements.
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6. Screening:
•The screening process requires the project developer to fill
out a list of questions which helps to determine whether or
not the project will require an EIA.
•EIAs are only required for projects that fall under the law
and its regulations.
7. Scoping:
•Once the screening process has taken place, issuing terms
of reference to carry out the scoping and impact
assessment portions of the EIA process.
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8. Impact Assessment and Mitigation:

• The impact assessment will be undertaken by a
multidisciplinary team of consultants that include national
and international private consulting firms and public
institutions.
9. Impact Evaluation Method:
• Multi-objective Analysis Framework
• The impact evaluation process have three steps:
1. Identification of impacts
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2. Prediction of impacts
3. Evaluation of impacts.
10. potential project impacts:
• Potential of project impacts described as:
1. Environment Impact
2. Phase
3. Details
11. Identification of Alternatives
12. Impact Management
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•Environmental Management Plan

•Compensation Plan
•Decommissioning Plan
oGenerally the case study of EIA report can be summarized
as:
•Executive Summary
•Company overview
•Geographical orientation of the project including the area
of influence
•Description of the project
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•Description of the production process

•Environmental Impact including, team
overview, social and environmental base line,
evaluation method used.
•Impacts from the project including an
evaluation with and without the project
•Demand of natural resources and renewable
natural resources and the environment
•Environmental management plan
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• Compensation plan
• Decommissioning plan
• Chronology for project implementation
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END

Thank you for your attention!!!