eia basic concept.ppt
TRANSCRIPT
7/28/2019 EIA Basic Concept.ppt
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Basic Concepts forAssessing
EnvironmentalImpacts
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Definition of EIA
EnvironmentalImpact Assessment is
A formal process for identifying:
• likely effects of activities or projects on the ENVIRONMENT,
and on human health and welfare.• means and measures to mitigate & monitor these impacts
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What is an impact?
The impact of an activity is a deviation (a change) from the baseline situation thatis caused by the activity.
To measure an impact, you must know what the baseline situation is.
The baseline situation is the existing environmental situation orcondition in the absence of the activity.
The baseline situation is a key concept in EIA.
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The baseline situation
In characterizing the baselinesituation, many environmental
components MAY be ofinterest
Water Quantity, quality,reliability, accessibility
Soils Erosion, crop productivity,fallow periods, salinity,nutrient concentrations
Flora Composition and density of natural vegetation, productivity, key species
Fauna Populations, habitat
Special Key species ecosystems
Env Health Disease vectors, pathogens
The components of interestare those that are likely to
be affected by youractivity—or upon which your
activity depends for itssuccess
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The baseline situation
The baseline situation is not simply a “snapshot.”Describing the baseline situation requires describing both the
normal variability in environmental components & current trends inthese components.
time
W a t e r t a b l e
This chart of groundwater levels shows both variability and a trendover time.
Both are part of the groundwater baseline situation.
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Types of impacts & their attributes
Direct & indirect impactsShort-term & long-term
impacts
Adverse & beneficialimpacts
Cumulative impacts
The EIA process is concerned withall types of impacts and may describe
them in a number of ways
Intensity Direction
Spatial extent Duration Frequency Reversibility Probability
But all impacts are NOT treated equally.
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Specifically,It is ESSENTIAL in EIA to focus on the most significant impacts.Don’t waste effort & time analyzing and discussing impacts that areless important.
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What is an activity?
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ACTIVITY:market access
roadrehabilitation
ACTIONS:Survey, grading, culvertconstruction, compaction,etc. . .
a desired accomplishmentor output
E.g.: a road, seedlingproduction, or riverdiversion to irrigate land
An activity is:
Accomplishing an activity requires aset of actions
We are discussing the impacts of activities.
What are activities?
A project or program may consist ofmany activities
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The EIA process
• Scope• Evaluate baseline situation• Identify & choose alternatives• Identify and characterize potential
impacts of proposed activity andeach alternative• Develop mitigation and monitoring• Communicate and document
Phase I:Initial inquiries
Phase II:Full EIA study(if needed)
Our focus!
•Understand proposedactivities
•Screen
•Conduct preliminaryassessment (ifneeded)
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Phase 1 of the EIA Process
Screen theactivity
Based on the
nature of the
activity what
level of
environmental
review isindicated?
Conduct aPreliminary
Assessment
A rapid,
simplified EIA
study using
simple tools
ACTIVITY IS
OF MODERATE
OR UNKNOWN
RISK
SIGNIFICANT
ADVERSE
IMPACTS
POSSIBLE
SIGNIFICANT
ADVERSEIMPACTS
VERY UNLIKELY
ACTIVITY IS LOW
RISK (Of its nature,
very unlikely to have
significant adverseimpacts)
ACTIVITY IS
HIGH RISK (Of its
nature, likely to have
significant adverse
impacts)
Phase IIPhase IUnderstandproposed
activity
Why is the
activity being
proposed?
What is beingproposed?
BEGIN
FULL
EIA
STUDY
STOP
the EIA
process
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:Understand the proposed activity
Understand theproposedactivities
Why is theactivity being
proposed?
What is beingproposed?
ALL EIA processes begin with understanding WHAT is beingproposed, and WHY.
The question“WHY IS THE ACTIVITY BEING PROPOSED? Is answered with the development objective (D.O.).
“building a road”
“increasing access to markets”
We must understand theDevelopment Objective to identifyenvironmentally sound alternatives
Not a D.O.!
Is a D.O.
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:Understand the proposed activity
Understand theproposedactivities
Why is theactivity being
proposed?
What is beingproposed?
Once we understand the development objective, we mustfully understand WHAT is being proposed.
This includes associated actions!
PRIMARY ACTIVITY: construction of diversion dam & irrigation canal
ASSOCIATED ACTIONS:• Survey
• negotiate land tenure• construct borrow pit• establish construction camp• construct temporary diversion structure• dispose of soil, debris
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:Screen the activity
Screen eachactivity
Based on thenature of theactivity, what
level of
environmentalanalysis isindicated?
SCREENING is the process of asking a very basicset of questions about the nature of activity.
These questions:• do NOT require analysis.
• do NOT require detailed knowledge aboutthe proposed sites, techniques or methods
Example screening questions: Does the activity involve:
• Penetration road building?• Large-scale irrigation?
• Introduction of non-native crop or agroforestry species?
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:Screen the activity
Screen eachactivity
Based on thenature of theactivity, what
level of
environmentalanalysis isindicated?
screening classifies the activity into a RISKCATEGORY:
VERY LOW RISK
VERY HIGH RISK
MODERATE ORUNKNOWN RISK
EIA process ends
Do full EIA study
Do preliminaryassessment
The outcome of the screening process determines the next step in theEIA process
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:The Preliminary Assessment
Conduct aPreliminaryAssessment
A rapid,simplified EIA
study using
simple tools
The purpose of a preliminary assessment is to providedocumentation and analysis that:
• Allows the preparer to determinewhether or not significant adverseimpacts are likely
• Allows the reviewer to agree ordisagree with the preparer’sdeterminations
• Sets out mitigation and monitoringfor adverse impacts
• Screening determines whether thepreliminary assessment isnecessary
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:The Preliminary Assessment
Typical Preliminary Assessmentoutline
1. Background (Developmentobjective, list of activities)
2. Description of the baseline
situation
3. Evaluation of potentialenvironmental impacts
4. Mitigation & monitoring
5. Recommended Findings
For each activity it covers, apreliminary assessment has 3possible findings:
• The project is very unlikely tohave significant adverse impacts.(EIA process ends)
• With specified mitigation andmonitoring, the project isunlikely to have significantadverse impacts
• The project is likely to havesignificant adverse impacts (fullEIA study is required)
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What is mitigation?
The implementation of measures designed to reduce the undesirableeffects of a proposed action on the environment
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To arrive at findings:Identify, Predict and Judge
Identify potentialimpacts
Judge thesignificance of
potential impacts
Predict potentialimpacts
Arriving at the FINDINGS in a preliminary assessment requires3 steps:
Many resources describe the potential impacts oftypical small-scale activities.
Determine which potential impacts are likely tobecome actual, and quantify these impacts to theextent possible.
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2
3Determine whether the predicted impacts areindeed significant!THIS WILL OFTEN DEPEND ON HOW EFFECTIVETHE PROPOSED MITIGATION MEASURES ARE!
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Present tools to assist in identifying &predicting impacts
Discuss the factors involved in judgingsignificance
Subsequent Modules
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Phase 2 of the EIA process:The Full EIA study
The full EIA study has very similar objectives and structure to a preliminaryassessment. However, the full EIA study differs in important ways:
A formal scoping process precedes the study to ID issues to be addressed
Analysis of environmental impacts is much more detailed
Alternatives must be formally defined. The impacts of each alternative mustbe identified & evaluated, and the results compared.
Public participation is usually required.
A professional EIA team is usually required
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Phase 2 of the EIA process:The Full EIA study
With a few additions, the basicoutline of the preliminary assessmentis the template for the steps involvedin a full EIA study:
Scope
Evaluate baseline situation
Identify & choose
alternativesIdentify and characterizepotential impacts ofproposed activity and eachalternative
Compare alternatives
Develop mitigation andmonitoring
1. Background (Developmentobjective, list of activities)
2. Description of the baselinesituation
3. Evaluation of potential
environmental impacts
4. Mitigation & monitoring
5. Recommended Findings
Basic steps of the full EIAstudy
Communicate & Document throughout
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The full EIA study is a far more significant effort than the preliminaryassessment
The purpose of a Full EIA study is not to find that impacts will not besignificant. Its purpose is to allow an informed decision to be made about whichsignificant environmental impacts may be acceptable to obtain a particulardevelopment objective. The preliminary assessment cannot serve this function.
It is reserved for activities for which screening or the preliminary assessmentshows that significant impacts are likely.
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Who is involved in EIA?
Sponsor of the activity(usually commissions/conducts theEIA)
Regulatory agencies/Review authorities
Broad-based public
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Public consultation is usually onlyREQUIRED for full EIA studies.
However, it is good practice forpreliminary assessments because:
• Predicting impacts is
FACILITATED by broad-basedpublic consultation; Judgingsignificance is very difficultwithout it.
• Transparency and accessibilityrequire disclosure to stakeholders
Communities (men & women)Civil societyPrivate Sector
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EIA is undertaken early enough toaffect project design
Mitigation and monitoringdeveloped in the EIA process is
implemented.
Making EIA effective
To be an effective tool for ESD, EIAmust be:
◦ a integral part of the projectdevelopment cycle.
◦ Honest
◦ Transparent & accessibleThe full EIA study must considerreal alternatives
Impacts must be assessedhonestly.
The EIA products must be clearand accessible to key actors.