Social Impact Assessment for Wetlands

Abstract

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) comprises the processes of analyzing, monitoring, and managing the social consequences of planned interventions (Vanclay 2003; Esteves et al. 2012). Planned interventions can be projects, plans, programs, or policies. SIA arose alongside Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the early 1970s to be a form of impact assessment focusing on the social (rather than biophysical environmental) impacts (Vanclay 2014). However, whereas EIA is required by law in most countries, relatively a few countries specifically require SIA although some include the assessment of social impacts within EIA. In the commercial world, social impacts are often assessed within an integrated environmental, social, and health impact assessment (ESHIA).