Impact Analysis

1
 An environmental impact
• An impact or effect: the change in an environmental parameter,
which results from a particular activity or intervention.
• The change: is the difference between the environmental parameter
with the project compared to that without the project
Types of impact
 Three overlapping phases:

1. Identification: to specify the impacts associated with

each phase of the project and the activities undertaken;

2. Prediction: to forecast the nature, magnitude, extent

and duration of the main impacts; and

3. Evaluation: to determine the significance of residual

impacts i.e. after taking into account how mitigation
will reduce a predicted impact.
 Impact identification
• Impact identification and prediction are undertaken against an
environmental baseline, often delineated by selected indices and
indicators (e.g. air/water, noise, ecological sensitivity, biodiversity).
• The collection of baseline information and the relevant biophysical
and socio-economic conditions begins during screening and continues
in scoping.
• Additional baseline data will need to be collected to establish
reference points for impact identification and prediction. These
requirements should be identified in the Terms of Reference.
 A broad definition of ‘environment’
 human health and safety

 flora, fauna, ecosystems and biodiversity

 soil, water, air, climate and landscape

 use of land, natural resources and raw materials

 protected areas and sites of special significance

 heritage, recreation and amenity assets

 livelihood, lifestyle and well being of affected communities

NB: Depending on the EIA system, some or all of these

impacts may require analysis and evaluation.
 Impact identification methods
checklists
 matrices
 networks
 overlays and geographical information systems (GIS)
 expert systems
professional judgement
 Checklists
 Provide a systematized means of identifying impacts.
 They also have been developed for application to
particular types of projects and categories of impacts
(such as dams or road building).
 Sectoral checklists often are useful when proponents
specialize in one particular area of development.
 However, checklists are not as effective in identifying
higher order impacts or the inter-relationships between
impacts and therefore, when using them, consider
whether impacts other than those listed may be
important.
 Checklists are of four broad categories and represent
one of the basic methodologies used in EIA. They are:
(a) Simple Checklists: that are a list of parameters without
guidelines provided how to interpret and measure an
environmental parameter.
(b) Descriptive Checklists: that includes an identification of
environmental parameter and guidelines on how parameter
data are to be measured.
(c) Scaling Checklists: that are similar to descriptive
checklist with the addition of information basis to
subjective scaling or parameter values.
(d) Scaling Weighting Check Lists: are capable of quantifying
impacts.
 Example of a checklist
(For rural and urban water supply and sanitation projects)
Aspects of EIA Checklist Questions Yes No Additional
Will the project: Data needs

Sources of Impacts 1. Require the acquisition or conversion of significant areas

of land for reservoir/treatment works etc. (e.g. > 50 ha
rural, > 5 ha urban)?
2. Result in significant quantities of eroded material, effluent
or solid wastes?

3. Require significant accommodation or service amenities to

support the workforce during construction (eg > 100
manual workers)?

Receptors of Impacts 4. Flood or otherwise affect areas which support

conservation worthy terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems,
flora or fauna (eg protected areas, wilderness areas,
forest reserves, critical habitats, endangered species); or
that contain sites of historical or cultural importance?
5. Flood or otherwise affect areas which will affect the
livelihoods of local people (eg require population
resettlement; affect local industry, agriculture, livestock
or fish stocks; reduce the availability of natural resource
goods and services)?
6. Involve siting sanitation treatment facilities close to
human settlements (particularly where locations are
susceptible to flooding)?
7. Affect sources of water extraction?

Environmental Impacts 8. Cause a noticeable permanent or seasonal reduction in

the volume of ground or surface water supply?

9. Present a significant pollution risk through liquid or solid

wastes to humans, sources of water extraction,
conservation worthy aquatic ecosystems and species, or
commercial fish stocks?
10. Change the local hydrology of surface water-bodies (eg
streams, rivers, lakes) such that conservation-worthy or
commercially significant fish stocks are affected?
11. Increase the risk of diseases in areas of high population
density (eg onchocerciasis, filariasis, malaria, hepatitis,
gastrointestinal diseases)?
12. Induce secondary development, eg along access roads,
or in the form of entrepreneurial services for construction
and operational activities?

Mitigation Measures 13. Be likely to require mitigation measures that may result in
the project being financially or socially unacceptable?

Comments

I recommend that the programme be assigned to

Category

Signature: Delegation.........................................Desk...................................
 Matrices
• a grid-like table that is used to identify the interaction between
project activities, which are displayed along one axis, and
environmental characteristics, which are displayed along the
other axis.
• environment-activity interactions can be noted in the appropriate
cells or intersecting points in the grid.
• ‘Entries’ are made in the cells to highlight impact severity or
other features related to the nature of the impact, for instance:
– ticks or symbols can identify impact type (such as direct,
indirect, cumulative) pictorially;
– numbers or a range of dot sizes can indicate scale; or
– descriptive comments can be made.
 Leopold interaction matrix

• has 88 environmental characteristics along the

top axis and 100 project actions in the left hand
column.
• Potential impacts are marked with a diagonal line
in the appropriate cell and a numerical value can
be assigned to indicate their magnitude and
importance.
Example of a Leopold matrix

Topic 6 Slide 13
 Leopold matrix (cont’d)
Critical Comments
The following are the main objections to this
method:
 It only identifies first order impacts and direct
impacts;
 It does not take the time factor into consideration;
 It does not compare the eventual project
alternatives;
 In case different teams have to work on it, the
results are likely to difer because the criteria are
highly subjective;
 Networks
• illustrate the cause-effect relationship of
project activities and environmental
characteristics
• particularly useful in identifying and depicting
secondary impacts (indirect, cumulative, etc).
• Simplified networks, used in conjunction with
other methods, help to ensure that important
second-order impacts are not omitted from
the investigation.
• More detailed networks are visually
complicated, time-consuming and difficult to
produce unless a computer program is used
for the task.
 Example of a network
(showing linkages leading to changes in quality of life, wildlife and tourism)

CHANGING QUALITY CHANGING QUALITY

OF LIFE FOR W ILDLIFE OF TOURISM

Lo ss o f Hab itat In creased In cid ents

b etween Lo ss o f Natural
Wildlife & Peo p le Wildern ess Valu e

Deforestatio n & Ero sio n o f Riv er Ban k Ov erg razin g Ch ang es in

Lo ss o f Bio d iv ersity Go rg e Ero sio n Aro u n d
An imal Beh av io u r
Access Path s Water Holes

To o small an area
fo r an imal n u mb ers

Rip arian Co n strictio n Harrassmen t

Selectiv e Cu ttin g o f wild life
o f trees fo r Water Wav e Veg etation o f wild life
Po llutio n Effects Red uced mo v emen ts
Cu rio Wo o d
Mo re Fen ces/ Visual Disturb an ceIn creasin g
Oily d isch arges Riv er Ban k & Islan d En clo su res Imp acts o f wild life n o ise levels
fro m b o ats etc. Dev elo pmen t

New Ro ad
Deman d fo r Ex p an sio n of Mo re Aircraft Mo re & Brid g e at Old
Mo re Mo re
Cu rio s Raftin g Jetties & Ho tels/Camps Fly ing Ov er Mo tor Drift/Zamb ezi
In creased & To u rist Facilities Falls & To wn Veh icles Nation al Park
Licences Bo at Licen ces

In creased Visito r Nu mb ers

Deman d fo r Mo re Direct Imp ro v ed Bo rd er Imp ro v ed Ro ad Lin ks

Lo w-sp en d in g In tern atio n al Facilities - Livin g sto n /Lu sak a
To u rism In creases Flig hts - Zamb ia/Bo tswan a/Namib ia
(Bisset)
In creased cu sto ms co-o p eration
Airp o rt Up g rad ing b etween Zimb ab we/Zamb ia
 Choice of EIA method depends on:
 the type and size of the proposal
 the type of alternatives being considered
 the nature of the likely impacts;
 the availability of impact identification methods
 the experience of the EIA team with their use
 the resources available - cost, information, time,
personnel
 Main advantages and disadvantages of impact
identification methods
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Checklists • simple to understand • do not distinguish
–simple and use between direct and
–ranking • good for site selection indirect impacts
and and priority setting • do not link action and
weighting impact
• the process of
incorporating values
can be controversial
Matrices • link action to impact • difficult to distinguish
• good method for direct and indirect
displaying EIA results impacts
• significant potential
for double-counting of
impacts
Networks • link action to impact • can become very
• useful in simplified complex if used beyond
form for checking for simplified version
second order impacts
• handles direct and
indirect impacts
Overlays • easy to understand • address only direct
• good display method impacts
• good siting tool • do not address impact
duration or probability
GIS and • excellent for impact • heavy reliance on
computer identification and knowledge and data
expert analysis • often complex and
systems
• good for ‘experimenting’ expensive
 A word of caution
• No single impact identification methodology is suited to
use on all occasions; nor is it necessary to use only one
method at a time. Combining the useful aspects of two
different techniques may be the best approach to take.
• EIA checklists, matrices and networks can have added
value when applied by experts in an interactive process.
• When using impact identification methods (such as
checklists or matrices) developed by others, care should
be taken to ensure that these are suitable for your purpose.