Environmental Impact Assessment Practitioners Research Articles

Unraveling Environmental Impact Assessment Practitioners in Brazil: Profile, Education and Perception of EIA Practice among CBAI Participants

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practice demands interactions between different actors, and its effectiveness depends on how they respond to their own expectations, as well as the expectations of other actors and legal standards. Thus, EIA practitioners play an important role in improving this process. This study examines the profile of Brazilian EIA practitioners who participated in at least one edition of the Congresso Brasileiro de Avaliação de Impacto (CBAI - Brazilian Congress on Impact Assessment in English), as well as their perception of EIA practice within the country. It is a quantitative and qualitative research based on the premise that EIA practitioners would have participated in at least one of the first five congresses (CBAI) promoted by the Associação Brasileira de Avaliação de Impacto (ABAI - Brazilian Association for Impact Assessment in English). Data collection involved distributing an online questionnaire, available between September 26th and November 1st, 2022, to all 794 contacts registered at ABAI. A total of 217 responses were obtained, with participants comprising 48% men and 52% women, with the majority falling between 25 and 45 years of age. All respondents had studied EIA (through undergraduate or postgraduate courses, or in other contexts). Most participants had more than 10 years of experience working with EIA, primarily in consultancy and academia. Perceptions regarding the quality, problems, strengths and opportunities of Brazilian EIA practice generally aligned with the literature. Respondents tended to disagree with streamlining EIA and Environmental Licensing procedures and to agree with the necessity of implementing Strategic Environmental Assessment in Brazil. The results are important to understand who Brazilian EIA practitioners are and what this portion of EIA practitioners think.

Understanding stakeholder experiences with visual communication in environmental impact assessment

Visual communication is widely and commonly used in environmental impact assessment (EIA) practice by all stakeholders. It includes maps, photographs, tables, info-graphics and other images used in environmental impact statements, as well as videos and graphics in online materials or in face-to-face consultation sessions (e.g., posters and PowerPoint presentations). The purpose of this research was to understand the practice of visual communication in EIA, focusing upon the perceptions and experiences of stakeholders. Surveys were conducted with international EIA practitioners along with observations of consultation sessions for three EIA projects in Portugal and interviews with proponents, regulators and members of the public involved. Specific focus was on (i) understanding stakeholder perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of visual communication in EIA; (ii) proponent perceptions about the creation and use of visual communication; and (iii) public perceptions regarding their understanding and experience of visual communication as recipients of this material during public engagement in EIA. The mode and content of presentation, visual literacy of stakeholders and technical arrangements interact to determine the efficacy of visual communication. All stakeholders expected visual communication to be employed in EIA, but proponents and public were found to have low visual literacy. Proponents had pre-conceived notions for visual communication, without considering the needs of their audience, resulting in complex content being delivered inappropriately – too fast, without opportunity for reflection and dialogue. Frustrated public recipients tended to distrust proponents and be opposed to their projects, an unintended emotional response arising from cognition challenges with visual communication, combined with insufficient time for explanation, interpretation, and dialogue. This paper seeks to trigger reflection by practitioners and researchers on how and by whom visual communication in EIA should be designed, and what inhibits their comprehension and understanding. Considering visual literacy levels of EIA stakeholdersand tailoring the mode and style of delivery accordingly is critical for effective visual communication.

How the Freshwater Biodiversity Information System (FBIS) is supporting national freshwater fish conservation decisions in South Africa

In South Africa, anthropogenic pressures such as water over-abstraction, invasive species impacts, land-use change, pollution, and climate change have caused widespread deterioration of the health of river ecosystems. This comes at great cost to both people and biodiversity, with freshwater fishes ranked as the country’s most threatened species group. Effective conservation and management of South Africa’s freshwater ecosystems requires access to reliable and comprehensive biodiversity data. Despite the existence of a wealth of freshwater biodiversity data, access to these data has been limited. The Freshwater Biodiversity Information System (FBIS) was built to address this knowledge gap by developing an intuitive, accessible and reliable platform for freshwater biodiversity data in South Africa. The FBIS hosts high quality, high accuracy biodiversity data that are freely available to a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, conservation practitioners and policymakers. We describe how the system is being used to provide freshwater fish data to a national conservation decision-support tool—The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) National Environmental Screening Tool (NEST). The NEST uses empirical and modelled biodiversity data to guide Environmental Impact Assessment Practitioners in conducting environmental assessments of proposed developments. Occurrence records for 34 threatened freshwater fishes occurring in South Africa were extracted from the FBIS and verified by taxon specialists, resulting in 6 660 records being used to generate modelled and empirical national distribution (or sensitivity) layers. This represents the first inclusion of freshwater biodiversity data in the NEST, and future iterations of the tool will incorporate additional freshwater taxa. This case study demonstrates how the FBIS fills a pivotal role in the data-to-decision pipeline through supporting data-driven conservation and management decisions at a national level.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of environmental impact assessment in East Africa: The case of Rwanda

AbstractEIA is an important regulatory tool which can play a key role in achieving of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and it is defined as a tool used to predict the likely impact of a project or development on the environment. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Rwanda. Data were collected using a descriptive survey design. A structured questionnaire was developed, pretested and administered to a sample of 110 respondents using purposive sampling technique. Of the 110 questionnaires administered 82 were retrieved and analyzed into frequencies and simple percentages using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel 2016 version. The study showed that 1188 EIA clearances were issued between 2011 and 2019 while 3085 EIA certificates were issued between 2006 and 2019. The survey revealed that EIA experts in Rwanda largely gain experience from the construction, water and sanitation, and agriculture sectors. Though the legislation covering EIA in Rwanda is very strong, the study showed that the only way to improve the effectiveness of EIA is to strengthen the quality of documentation and to offer electronic services as well as incorporating EIA results into decision‐making mechanisms. The study also identified insufficient monitoring of environmental management plans (45% of respondents), poor follow‐ups (30%), inexperienced practitioners in EIA implementation and auditing (30%), lack of professionalism by EIA practitioners (30%), and poor public participation (25%). This could potentially hinder EIA effectiveness. The study therefore recommends that quality documentation and electronic services as well as follow‐up to review projects be enforced to improve EIA effectiveness.

Digital environmental impact assessment: An exploration of emerging digital approaches for non-technical reports

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool for providing systematic assessment to identify environmental, social, and economic impacts of significant developments. Through a series of technical assessments, public-facing reports are produced, including non-technical summaries of larger reports- these documents communicate assessment outcomes to non-technical public stakeholders during consultation. Consultation approaches have stagnated and achieve minimal feedback with a notable age-bias based on low turn-outs at consultation events. Digital technology is being promoted to create a widely accessible, engaging, information source to aid public knowledge and awareness of EIA outcomes. In recent years, progressive digital reporting approaches such as Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) StoryMaps, purpose-built web-solutions and bespoke-built websites, have been adopted by environmental and engineering consultancies to digitalise EIA public-facing reports.The 1998 Aarhus Convention sets out fundamental requirements for public participation within environmental decision-making, requiring inclusivity, accessibility and transparency. Consultation phases are increasingly utilising digitalised reports for their non-technical stakeholder audience, and therefore need to fulfil Aarhus requirements. This study explored the usability of digitalised public-facing documents. Interactive digital reports intended for a non-technical audience, using the interface formats ESRI StoryMaps, purpose-built web solutions and bespoke websites, were focused on due to their increasing use within public EIS reporting in engineering and environmental consultancies operating globally. Three research approaches were employed: a usability test of a purpose-built interactive digital document, interviews with digital EIA practitioners and a comparative cartographic and interface feature review. We found evidence of a digital divide between age groups and ability to effectively utilise a precedent digital report- with older users (aged 66+) less able to access information and avoid errors. Digital literacy on its own was not a reliable indicator of a user's ability to navigate a digital environment but is likely compounded by other factors such as cognitive function among older users. Practitioners saw opportunities in digitalised reports but recognised limitations in their value to some users. Current digital reporting practice presents initial usability issues, indicating direction for essential development towards a receptor-based, personalised, report.

Reflecting on, and revising, international best practice principles for EIA follow-up

Follow-up is a vital component of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), being essential for understanding assessment outcomes. Long-standing international best practice principles for EIA follow-up are reviewed, and revisions proposed, based on workshops with academics and practitioners, literature review and self-reflection. The proposed revision of EIA follow-up principles will feature an introduction with a simple definition and explanation of objectives for follow-up, and 15 principles. The revised principles address: objective; context; early establishment; project life-cycle; transparency; accessibility; accountability; performance criteria provision; enforcement; learning; adaptive environmental management; flexible or adaptive approach; tiering; cumulative effects and overall performance evaluation. Through publishing this proposal, it is hoped to simultaneously inform or inspire EIA practitioners to enhance their own follow-up knowledge and practices, and to seek input for further refinements that might lead to a revised set of international best practice principles for EIA follow-up.

Guidelines for the analysis of the inclusion of biodiversity in Environmental Impact Statements

Article 14 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) calls for the inclusion of impacts on biodiversity in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which is a significant instrument for site-specific impact prediction. In view of the shortcomings reported for Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), guidelines with indicators could improve the consideration of biological diversity in EISs. This study aims to establish guidelines for the analysis of the inclusion of biodiversity in EISs using a systematic approach based on scientific papers, CBD, and a survey with 43 EIA practitioners from universities, government agencies, environmental consulting companies, business segment, and the third sector. The guidelines comprise 60 indicators arranged into eight categories about the project's characteristics, methods, baseline, impact assessment, alternatives, as well as mitigation, compensation, and monitoring measures. The guidelines also include the levels of biological diversity (ecosystem, species, and genetic diversity), the three elements of biodiversity (composition, structure, and key processes), and the main anthropogenic threats. Thus, the guidelines represent a methodological contribution to EIA that could support decision making and future systematic reviews of EISs.

Evaluating the effectiveness of integrating the environmental impact assessment and mine closure planning processes

Integration of environmental assessment tools has long been promoted as best practice with the potential to bring environmental benefits. In this research, we set out to evaluate the effectiveness of integration of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and mine closure planning using a simple effectiveness criteria framework, applied to current regulatory provisions and practices in Western Australia. The effectiveness criteria for the integration of EIA and mine closure planning, compiled from existing reviews of integration and effectiveness concepts in the impact assessment literature, considers procedural, transactive, substantive effectiveness and overall process legitimacy. Data analysis consisted of a literature review, examination of regulatory and guidance material and interviews with 12 experienced EIA and/or mine closure practitioners with an industry or regulatory focus. The results provide strong, positive examples of procedural, transactive and substantive effectiveness due to the integrated framework. These include behavioural changes, improved knowledge and learning and better provision for closure at an early stage of mine planning. A trajectory of improvement was noted by everybody interviewed. However, a key driver for effectiveness is the enthusiasm of key facilitations, and tension exists due to the different motivations of the two lead regulatory agencies which poses a challenge for the integrated framework. While it can reasonably be argued that the effectiveness of early mine closure planning cannot yet be realised, due to a paucity of completely closed mines in Australia this study nevertheless demonstrates clear benefits and opportunities result from early stage integration of EIA with mine closure planning.

Legal framework for environmental impact assessment in Vietnam: the challenges between the regulations and practice

After 30 years of economic reforms since the launch of Đổi Mới in 1986, Vietnam has recorded significant and historic achievements. From a poor, war-ravaged, centrally planned economy, which was closed off from much of the outside world, Vietnam has become a middle-income country with a dynamic market economy that is deeply integrated into the global economy. But growth has to a large extent come at the cost of the environment. Vietnam’s greenhouse gas emissions have grown the fastest in the region, while the environmental quality of its air, land, and water has deteriorated considerably. Water and air pollution have reached serious levels, especially near Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, posing major health risks. As the most important environmental management tool, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is recognized by Vietnamese Government and international organizations in the management of the impacts of future development on the country’s natural resource base. EIA is the important Chapter of Law on environmental protection 2014 of Vietnam (which was passed by the 13 National Assembly at the 7th session on June 23, 2014). This article argue that while significant improvements have been achieved in the EIA legal framework, the challenges remains between the EIA regulations and practice. This article contend that the current EIA legal framework is poor and facing with challenges and that future developments of the EIA regulations in Vietnam should focus not only on legislative documents but also on improving capacity of EIA practitioners with strictly sanctions.

Checklist, endemism, English vernacular names and identification of the cicadas (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadidae) of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Public understanding of the goals of applied biology and conservation is promoted by showcasing charismatic or significant organisms using vernacular names. Conservation activities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, are prioritising taxa that have high rates of provincial endemism, such as snails, earthworms, millipedes and cicadas. To assist wider public engagement in these activities, an assessment of endemism of the cicadas of KwaZulu-Natal is presented along with a dichotomous, 37-couplet key for the identification of males, based mainly on externally visible morphology and colouration. Standardised English vernacular names coined following a simple naming convention are proposed. Forty-two percent (16 out of 38) of the cicada species known from KwaZulu-Natal are endemic to the province. Photographs of some of the species are included to facilitate their identification. Photographs can be used for identification of various species providing that the diagnostic characters are visible in the photographs. For this purpose, photographs may have to be taken of hand-held individuals. Some of the endemic species are of particular concern for conservation because they are not known to occur in statutory protected areas or are only known from relatively small protected areas. The latter may not be able to ensure the long-term survival of the species. The rate and extent of loss of habitat outside protected areas is likely to be a grave threat to species that are not protected or that are inadequately conserved in statutory protected areas. The standardised vernacular names proposed here provide a tool for communicating provincial conservation plans and concerns with stakeholders in KwaZulu-Natal and for stimulating interest in cicadas amongst land users, environmental impact assessment practitioners, biologists, naturalists and citizen scientists.

Investigating Highway-incurred Soil and Plant Lead Contamination in Iran

في إطار عملية تقييم الأثر البيئي الكلاسيكية للطرق؛ هناك احتمال كبير لعدم منح الاهتمام اللازم للتفاعلات بين الآثار البيئية. هذه التفاعلات توجد بين العوامل المختلفة للبيئة المحيطة بالطرق. إن تطبيق طريقة متعددة العوامل ضمن مراحل تقييم الأثر البيئي سيقوم بتزويد الشاغلين في تقييم الأثر البيئي بطريقة أكثر تكاملاً. هذه الطريقة سوف تساعدهم للوصول إلى نتائج قابلة للاعتماد بشكل أكبر من أجل عملية اتخاذ القرار. بالإضافة إلى أن تكامل النتائج المخبرية مع التقنيات المبنية على أساس الحاسوب، مثل التحاليل الجيولوجية-الإحصائية، سوف يزود الشاغلين في تقييم الأثر البيئي بتراكيز مكانية للملوثات. الذي يقودهم إلى قرارات أكثر اعتمادية بإنقاص مدى عدم الثقة في عملية اتخاذ القرار. في الدراسة الحالية؛ أظهرت النتائج بأن تركيز الرصاص في النباتات امتلك علاقة عكسية (r= -0.524، P<0.05) مع الانتقال على طول الطريق من طهران إلى كرج. إن تركيز الرصاص في التربة وذلك في النباتات أظهر علاقة غير مباشرة (r= -0.390، P<0.05) على نفس الاتجاه في الحركة. بالإضافة، على المحاور العرضية من الحافة باتجاه المناطق المحيطة بالطريق السريع؛ تركيز الرصاص في النباتات ارتبط بشكل مباشر مع تركيز الرصاص في التربة (r= 0.600، P<0.005). تم مشاهدة وجود رابطة معكوسة أيضاً (r= 0.400، P<0.05) بين تركيز الرصاص في التربة وبين المسافة العرضية من حافة الطريق السريع. تطبيق خارطة تركيز الرصاص في التربة-النبات وخارطة استخدام الأرض/غطاء الأرض، أكد بأن 35.94 % من قوام البيئة المحيطة للطريق السريع هي مغطاة بمناطق سكنية، مما يؤكد على وجود رقم موجب للانتباه من المساكن المعرضة لمخاطر صحية نتيجة النقل على الطريق السريع.

The quality of environmental impact reports for projects with the potential of affecting wetlands in South Africa

In South Africa certain development activities, which may have a substantial detrimental effect on the environment, require an environmental impact assessment (EIA), including projects with the potential of affecting wetlands. A key element of the EIA process is the submission of an environmental impact report (EIR) for review in order to determine whether the report is adequate and / or whether a greater quantity of information is required before the project can be authorised. The information available to decision-makers in the EIR is a major determinant in the outcome of wetland protection and / or destruction. The quality of 4 environmental impact reports of large projects with the potential of impacting on wetlands was assessed using an EIA report quality review checklist. It is concluded that the quality of the 4 reports was generally satisfactory but certain areas were found to be poorly performed, i.e. identification and evaluation of impacts to the potential detriment of the wetlands for which the EIAs were performed. To improve the quality of the reports for projects with the potential of affecting wetlands it is recommended that a quality review checklist be used by EIA practitioners and authorities as an additional tool to the EIA regulations and the integrated environmental management series. This should assist in ensuring that key aspects are addressed before submission to the relevant authority, and will also contribute to establishing a baseline of EIR quality for evaluation of wetlands EIA practice under the new regulations promulgated in 2006.

Knowledge coproduction in environmental impact assessment: Lessons from the mining industry in Panama

AbstractThis paper explores questions concerning knowledge coproduction as applied to the extractive sector through an ex‐post evaluation of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) process for a proposed copper and gold mine in Panama. Theoretical underpinnings of knowledge are highlighted, and barriers or enablers to knowledge coproduction are explored, including syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic boundaries and trust building. Reflection is based on the authors' participation as EIA practitioners on the project. Knowledge sharing between the EIA project team and stakeholders are placed in the context of knowledge coproduction theory and application. Different types of knowledge—fast and slow, tacit and explicit, and traditional and expert—are integrated into an adapted version of Nonaka's knowledge spiral model, illustrating the progression of knowledge coproduction through various activities and actors in EIA. Findings support the contention that explicitly designing and implementing knowledge coproduction into EIA practice can help improve environmental governance in the extractive sector.

Seven good practices for the environmental licensing of coastal interventions: Lessons from the Italian, Cuban, Spanish and Colombian regulatory frameworks and insights on coastal processes

Environmental licensing is the regulatory procedure that enforces the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of human activities inside a given country. Despite worldwide acceptance of EIA as a valid tool, its application in coastal environments is still too diverse and limited regarding the specificity of the natural processes influencing the shore. This paper compares the Environmental Licensing Procedure (ELP) of four countries, focusing on the activities that could affect the coastal geomorphology. The acquisition and validation of information were done through interviews with EIA representatives in each country, who signalized the official documents of environmental licensing and coastal management to be considered in the documentary review. The results present those differences and similarities among ELP stages in each country, based on the principles of the International Association of Impact Assessment and the national documents analyzed. In sum, 59 interventions associated with human uses and activities in the coastal zone were compared according to the prescriptive character of the environmental licensing in Italy, Spain, Cuba and Colombia. The natural processes influencing coastal geomorphology were also analyzed within the technical criteria included in the official guidelines for the EIA, finding a generalized weakness in processes associated with geochemical courses on coastal environments. By way of discussion, seven good practices are illustrated, according to their pertinence to the impact assessment of the coastal zone: 1) The integration of screening and scoping; 2) Evaluation focusing on the environment rather than the intervention; 3) Binding the coastal zone delimitation; 4) Institutional articulation; 5) Accreditation of environmental consultancies; 6) Official guidelines by types of environment; 7) The integration of environmental geographic information. Finally, general conclusions to assist EIA practitioners operating in the four countries and recommendations to lead further research are provided, introducing a novel process-oriented approach for ELP.

Rwandan environmental impact assessment: practices and constraints

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the Rwandan Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practice and identify the possible constraints faced by EIA practitioners in Rwanda. The results presented here will help to highlight strengths and weakness of the Rwandan EIA practice.Design/methodology/approachThe EIA practice was evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire survey for respondents including approved EIA experts in Rwanda, government agencies involved in EIA process and corporate which have received environmental clearance. The aspects of practices and challenges were evaluated and include the suitability of institutional arrangements, the scientific methodological bases of EIA, the conduct of EIA, the effectiveness of EIA with respect to influence decision making, overall results and EIA as a learning process. These aspects were rated on different scales by the respondents to identify where the Rwandan EIA practice stands now in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints.FindingsThe institutional arrangements of EIA were judged to be good overall by the respondents with main strengths being seen in the policy and legal base, and the scope of application. Only the marginal weaknesses are seen in the monitoring. The scientific and empirical basis for assessment was judged to stand moderately strengthened during the last five years. The performance of key activities is more than satisfactory. A majority of Rwandan EIA stages are good and excellent to some extent.Originality/valueThis paper identifies some of the constraints and challenges faced by the Rwandan EIA practitioners. It will contribute to an understanding of EIA practice and robust practices across the globe.

Environmental impact assessment in higher education institutions in East Africa: the case of Rwanda.

Due to the pressure on limited resources produced by a growing population and due to a decade of war, Rwanda is facing a major problem in environmental protection. Because of such problems, it seems only reasonable that environment-related courses should play an important role in the curricula of institutions of higher learning. The main aim of this research is to present a comprehensive picture of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) integration in graduate and undergraduate programs in Rwandese higher education institutions and to make recommendations for its improvement. During this study, two surveys were conducted: the first survey targeted Environmental Impact Assessment lecturers and the second survey was for Environmental Impact Assessment practitioners (including EIA certified experts and competent authorities). The study found that Environmental Impact Assessment is not well established in these institutions and it is not taught in some programs; civil engineering, for example, has no Environmental Impact Assessment courses. Recommendations to improve EIA education are proposed, such as requiring that a common core course in Environmental Impact Assessment be made available in Rwandese higher learning institutions.

Incorporating climate change mitigation and adaptation into environmental impact assessment: a review of current practice within transport projects in England

Climate change mitigation and adaptation can be perceived as neglected in environmental impact assessment (EIA). In the light of amendments to the European Union EIA Directive (2014), we developed a novel criteria-based review package to assess climate change mitigation and adaptation as documented in environmental statements, and applied this to a sample of 10 transport developments from England. Justifications relating to climate policy, climate science, the effect of climate change on the development and its vulnerability to climate risks were well explained in most projects. Many projects lacked detail of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures and their benefits, whilst evidence of commitment to mitigation and adaptation or to post-decision monitoring was poor or non-existent; reportedly due to costs, time constraints and absence of mandatory requirements. It is recommended that to improve the effectiveness of the consideration of climate change mitigation and adaptation in EIA, the production of guidelines, change of behaviour of EIA practitioners, more holistic consideration of climate change issues, rigorous post-decision monitoring and use of climate change terminology are more widely adopted.

Effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment follow-up as a tool for environmental management: lessons and insights from platinum mines along the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe

The concept of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) follow-up has received considerable attention in recent years. However, a number of EIA practitioners have pointed out that there is lack of EIA follow-up evidence on the effectiveness of implemented mitigation measures in practice. This study examined EIA follow-up evidence of implemented mitigation measures and their effectiveness in protecting the environment from platinum mining and processing plants operating along the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe. Using data from environmental impact statements; environmental management plans, environment monitoring reports; and views of environmental managers and selected local residents, and field observations, the study examined the utility of EIA follow-up as a tool for enhancing the effectiveness of implemented mitigation measures. The results show that EIA follow-ups are carried out with emphasis being given to procedures. The adverse impacts of sulphur dioxide; dust and noise on local residents’ health around the platinum smeltering plant put into question the sustainability of current mitigation measures. The paper overall argues that a lot more needs to be done to bridge the gap between the current state of EIA follow-up in Zimbabwe and international best practices regarding the substantive dimension of EIA effectiveness. Using results from the study, the paper highlights the limitations of the current approach to follow-up conceptualization and suggests ways to strengthen the overall effectiveness of EIA.

Investigating the citizens’ intention level in environmental impact assessment participation through an extended theory of planned behavior model

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 <p>This study aims to measure citizens’ behavior intention (BI) in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) participation. An extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), which includes perceived government support and perceived environmental concern, is used as the predictor model. A total of 240 questionnaire data, gathered from citizens of Indonesia, was analyzed by using structural equation modeling. The analysis result shows that the TPB model revealed 60 percent of citizens’ BI in EIA participation. Another finding revealed perceived behavior control as a key determinant factor. Practical recommendations suggested based on the result can be used as references by EIA policy makers and practitioners to increase citizens’ intention in EIA participation.</p>
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An effective set of principles for practical implementation of marine cumulative effects assessment

Abstract The term “cumulative effects assessment” is frequently used yet the underlying principles and definitions are poorly specified. Consequently, there is no consistency or standardisation in approaches leaving marine managers and developers perplexed on how best to discharge their legal obligations to undertake cumulative effects assessment. This paper explores some of the origins of the terminology and re-interprets how these may best be applied to standardise the vocabulary and approaches to cumulative effects assessment. We define cumulative effects assessment as a systematic procedure for identifying and evaluating the significance of effects from multiple sources/activities and for providing an estimate on the overall expected impact to inform management measures. The analysis of the causes (source of pressures and effects), pathways and consequences of these effects on receptors is an essential and integral part of the process. Environmental risk assessment concepts, in particular sound problem formulation, have been used to provide a clear structure for cumulative effects assessment. We recommend that risk screening, prioritisation and evaluation should be a critical component of cumulative effects assessment to facilitate a filtering of the complex issues for consideration of the likelihood of exposure of receptors to pressures and the likelihood of a receptor responding to those pressures. This paper is intended to provide practical assistance to marine environmental impact assessment practitioners, marine environmental regulators and policy makers.