SYMPOSIUM: THE PROCEDURES AND PROBLEMS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Symposium on the procedures and problems of the environmental impact assessment was held in cooperation with the Committee on the Environment Assessment of the Association of the Japanese Geographers. The speakers and the themes were as follows: (1) K. Nakaseko: Geological conditions and the environment assessment. (2) M. Kusaka: Assessment of geomorphological conditions in the city areas. (3) T. Kawamura: Assessment of climatic conditions. (4) Y. Hosono: Change of the hydrological environment due to urban development. (5) T. Nakanishi: Assessment of environment by the vegetation. (6) H. Sasaki: Change of green areas in the urban configurations. (7) M. Yoshida: Residential environment judged by the consiousness of residents. (d) Y. Mizoo: Assessment of sight-seeing and tourist resort planning. (9) H. Yoshikawa: On the system of environment assessment. The main problems pointed out are summarized in the following several items: (1) How can we sum up the results of assessment, which are different qualitatively? (2) We must take into consideration the human, social or economic conditions to the environmental assessment. How do we, however, determine or define the range of environment? (3) We shall have to make assessment individually, according to the scales of geographical phenomena. (4) How do we make assessment of future change: e.g. the change of ground water level or vegetation in the urban areas? Our knowledge about these changes is poor at present. (5) Lastly, how can geographers contribute to the policy decision through the assessment of environment?