EIA Basic Concept.ppt

7/28/2019 EIA Basic Concept.ppt

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Basic Concepts forAssessing

EnvironmentalImpacts



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



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.



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



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.



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.



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.



What is an activity?

8

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



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)



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



Phase 1 of the EIA process:Understand the proposed activity

Understand theproposedactivities

Why is theactivity being

proposed?


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.



Phase 1 of the EIA process:Understand the proposed activity

Understand theproposedactivities

Why is theactivity being

proposed?


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



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?



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



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



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)



What is mitigation?

The implementation of measures designed to reduce the undesirableeffects of a proposed action on the environment



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.

1

2

3Determine whether the predicted impacts areindeed significant!THIS WILL OFTEN DEPEND ON HOW EFFECTIVETHE PROPOSED MITIGATION MEASURES ARE!



Present tools to assist in identifying &predicting impacts

Discuss the factors involved in judgingsignificance

Subsequent Modules



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



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



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.



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



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.

EIA Basic Concept.ppt

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