Abstract

Measuring effectiveness of environmental impact assessment systems is central to the implementation of environmental impact assessment, considering the debate about relevance and usefulness of environmental impact assessment systems. Many models for evaluating environmental impact assessment system's effectiveness have been developed. Difficulties in quantifying environmental impacts have restricted the effectiveness mostly to procedural effectiveness evaluation, though substantive effectiveness evaluation is better. The method, rights, and resources (MRR) model was initially developed to harness the indicator-based evaluation theory into the evaluation of environmental impact assessment system's effectiveness. This chapter reviews the method, rights, and resources model and proffers some improvement. The method, rights, and resources model evaluates environmental impact assessment systems using indicators of compliance, participation, and capacity. The indicators incorporate both procedural and substantive approaches; hence, it attempts to present a more indicative measure of environmental impact assessment system's effectiveness. The guiding idea in this chapter is that monitoring and evaluating environmental impact assessment systems should be embedded in the environmental impact assessment system itself as opposed to being concepts that are externally and subsequently applied on existing environmental impact assessment systems.

Highlights

  • The concept of environmental impact assessment (EIA) was developed in the USA in 1960

  • The purpose of this chapter is to introduce an updated method, rights, and resources (MRR) model for evaluating EIA system effectiveness [4], an alternative conceptual and practical model based on the evaluation theory

  • Substantive effectiveness focuses on whether EIA systems are achieving the tangible outcomes, the ultimate tangible outcome being the protection of the environment and improving social well-being

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Summary

Introduction

The concept of environmental impact assessment (EIA) was developed in the USA in 1960. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the Local Agenda 21 placed EIA firmly as an important concept in environmental management processes. The EIA system’s primary role is to incorporate environmental issues into decision-making to ensure that new developments include steps to protect the environment and social well-being. It is assumed that the reader has reasonable knowledge about the EIA process; only a brief description is given It starts with a detailed knowledge of the proposed project. The major question that remains partly unanswered is whether EIA is achieving environmental protection as expected From this question arises another question which is the focus of this chapter. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce an updated method, rights, and resources (MRR) model for evaluating EIA system effectiveness [4], an alternative conceptual and practical model based on the evaluation theory. After that the theoretical framework of the MRR model is presented followed by the MRR model and its application and the conclusion and recommendations

Research methodology
EIA system evaluation approaches
Effectiveness of EIA: an afterthought
Quantifying impact
Theoretical framework of the MRR model
The updated MRR model
Method
Rights
Resources
Application of the MRR model
Compliance indicators
Participation indicators
Data sources and collection methods
Secondary data sources
Primary data sources
Data analysis
Advantages
Weaknesses
Findings
Conclusion and recommendations
Full Text
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