Introduction to

Environmental Impact
Assessment
Environmental Impact Assessment
• The process of identifying, predicting,
evaluating and mitigating the biophysical,
social, and other relevant effects of
development proposals prior to major
decisions being taken and commitments
made.
 Other Definition of EIA

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2002

• A systematic process to identify, predict and evaluate the

environmental effects of proposed actions and projects. This
process is applied prior to major decisions and
commitments being made. A broad definition of environment
is adopted.

Whenever necessary, social, cultural and health effects are

considered as an integral part of EIA. Particular attention is
given in EIA practice to preventing, mitigating and offsetting
the significant adverse effects of proposed undertakings.
 EIA Definition

• International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA)

and Institute of Environmental Assessment (IEA), 1999

• The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and

mitigating the biophysical, social and other relevant
effects of development proposals prior to major decisions
being taken and commitments made.
 Objectives of EIA

• • To ensure that environmental considerations are explicitly

addressed and incorporated into the development decision making
process;

• To anticipate and avoid, minimize or offset the adverse significant

biophysical, social and other relevant effects of development
proposals;

• To protect the productivity and capacity of natural systems and the

ecological processes which maintain their functions; and

• To promote development that is sustainable and optimizes resource

use and management opportunities.
• Long term objectives of EIA are to:
• protect human health and safety;
• avoid irreversible changes and serious
damage to the environment;
• safeguard valued resources, natural
areas and ecosystem components; and
• • enhance the social aspects of the
proposal.
• The EIA process should be applied:

As early as possible in decision making and throughout the life cycle of

the proposed activity;

- apply to all development proposals that may cause potentially

significant effects;

- address biophysical impacts and relevant socio-economic factors,

including health, culture, gender, lifestyle, age, and cumulative effects
consistent with the concept and principles of sustainable development;

- facilitate involvement and input of communities and industries affected

by a proposal, as well as the interested public;
 Generalised EIA
Process Flowchart

Proposal
Identification

Screening

Initial No EIA
EIA Required
environmental
examination

Scoping *Public involvement

Impact analysis

*Public involvement typically

occurs at these points. It may
Mitigation
also occur at any other stage
and impact of the EIA Process.
management

EIA Report

Review
*Public involvement
Resubmit

Redesign Decision-making

Information from this process

contributes to effective future EIA
Not approved Approved

Implementation and
follow up
 EIA—Three core values
 integrity - the EIA process will conform to
agreed standards
 utility - the EIA process will provide balanced,
credible information for decision-making
 sustainability - the EIA process will result in
environmental safeguards
 Benefits of EIA include:
 environmentally sound and sustainable design
 better compliance with standards
 savings in capital and operating costs
 reduced time and costs for approvals
 increased project acceptance
 better protection of the environment and
human health
 Delays are caused during EIA when
 the EIA is commenced too late in the project
cycle
 the terms of reference are poorly drafted
 the EIA is not managed to a schedule
 the EIA report is inadequate and needs to be
upgraded
 there is a lack of technical data
 Scientific Basis of EIA
• Not just a administrative procedure but a
scientific method
• Science seeks to reduce the apparent
complexity of our world into general
principles that can be used to solve
problems assuming there is a discoverable
order
 Science seeks “truth” in an objective and
rational manner
• Four goals of Scientific Research:
• 1) Exploration: to explore further
• 2) Description: to describe the structure
• and function of a phenomenon (the what)
• 3) Explanation: why and how
• 4) Prediction: what should we expect?
How
• will it effect…? (the so what…)
Scientific research typically starts with a questionor
problem through deductive reasoning and comes
up with theory through inductive reasoning

DEDUCTIVE: conclusion form general to

specific (have a broad generalization and
narrow it to individual cases)

INDUCTIVE: observe a specific case (s) and

draw general conclusions
 Scientific Research Characteristics

• 1) Systematic
• 2) Rational – deductive / inductive
• 3) Theory based / Theory oriented
• 4) Disciplined
• 5) Objective –
• not applying your own point of view
• 6) Relies on evidence
• 7) Public
- accessible to public to prove its worth
- way of allowing others to check
- replicate experiment

• 8) Attempts to be Accurate –
 Assumption of Science

• 1) Phenomena is observable and testable

• 2) Order – pattern
• 3) Antecedents
• history repeats itself
• notion of cause and effect
 Components of the Scientific
Method

a. Question
Based on observation or inquiry
b. Hypothesis
Statement about the relationship between 2 or
more things
c. Testing
Through experimental or observation
d. Results
Confirm or reject hypothesis
 EIA – a system approach
• Define the issues
• Identify the objective
• Define the scope ( temporal and spatial boundary and
hierarchy, interdisciplinary, integrative)
• Define the hypothesis
• Assumptions
• Identify the principles/theories involved
• Id inputs, system component involved and
• Outputs
• Prediction of outputs using models or expert judgements
Environmental Impact Assessment Project Cycle and Project Management
• The EIA process should be applied:

• As early as possible in decision making and throughout the life cycle

of the proposed activity;
• To all development proposals that may cause potentially significant
effects;
• To biophysical impacts and relevant socio-economic factors,
including health, culture, gender, lifestyle, age, and cumulative
effects consistent with the concept and principles of sustainable
development;

• To provide for the involvement and input of communities and

industries affected by a proposal, as well as the
interested public;

• In accordance with internationally agreed measures and activities.

Figure 1: EIA concept and eight guiding principles
• The guiding principles...

• There are eight guiding principles that govern

the entire process of EIA and they are as
follows:
• Participation: An appropriate and timely access
to the process for all interested parties.
• Transparency: All assessment decisions and
their basis should be open and accessible.
• Certainty: The process and timing of the
assessment should be agreed in advanced and
followed by all participants.
• Accountability: The decision-makers are
responsible to all parties for their action and
decisions under the assessment process.
• Credibility: Assessment is undertaken with professionalism and
objectivity.

• Cost-effectiveness: The assessment process and its outcomes will

ensure environmental protection at the least cost to the society.

• Flexibility: The assessment process should be able to adapt to

deal efficiently with any proposal and decision making situation.

• Practicality: The information and outputs provided by the

assessment process are readily usable in decision making and
planning.

• Interdisciplinary - the process should ensure that the

appropriate techniques and experts in the relevant
bio-physical and socio-economic disciplines are
employed, including use of traditional knowledge as
relevant.
• Systematic - the process should result in
full consideration of all relevant information
on the affected environment,
of proposed alternatives and their impacts,
and of the measures necessary to monitor
and investigate residualeffects.
• Integrated - the process should address
the interrelationships of social, economic
and biophysical aspects.
Source:
 Questions
• With your knowledge of ecosystem ecology/landscape
ecology, how the proposed project could affect the
ecosystem or landscape structure, their functions and
ecosystem services?

• How the ecological processes involved in a proposed

project in the alternative sites would assist in selection of
spatial, temporal and institutional scale?

How the system thinking and system analysis would

improve the quality of the report from am EIA?