Part Of Environmental Impact Assessment Research Articles

An evaluation of air quality impact prediction performance undertaken as part of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in India

Effective implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is recognised as a global issue, in particular the impact prediction stage, which is the ‘core’ of EIA. Consisting of four stages: impact identification, impact assessment, significance evaluation, and mitigation measures on the possible environmental repercussions of project developmental activities, the efficacy of impact prediction can define the quality of the EIA process, which will better align environmental decision-making to sustainable development. The weakness of impact prediction in EIA demands more study to enhance practice. Although this is widely explored in the context of developed countries such as the UK, it is particularly concerning in India. A specialised review package built from several sources is utilised to assess the efficacy of air quality impact prediction, based on Lee & Colley (1991). 20 EIA reports of Category A (mega-scale projects causing significant environmental impacts) are reviewed. This study's evaluation indicates that significance evaluation and mitigation actions are the weakest phases and a major concern while assessing air quality studies conducted as a part of EIA. Recommendations to improve the process include prioritising the cumulative impact assessment within the regulatory framework, enhancing capacity building, embedding public participation and instilling accountability among stakeholders, which can be adopted globally. Additional recommendations specifically for India are revising the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), restructuring the EIA review mechanism by EAC and improving mitigation measures by adopting GIS and remote sensing technologies.

Analysis of biodiversity impacts in mining environmental impact assessments before and after 2013 from Mpumalanga province, South Africa.

In South Africa, the relevant authorities use environmental impact assessments (EIAs) to achieve sustainable development. Biodiversity impact assessment (BIA) studies are part of EIAs to ensure that biodiversity issues are considered. In 2013, the mining industry published the Mining and biodiversity guideline to improve the integration of biodiversity into their activities. This research analysed the inclusion of biodiversity impacts in mining EIAs before and after the publication of the guideline. A customised mining BIA report-review package was developed and used to review 46 mining BIAs produced before and after 2013. Secondary data were collected using questionnaires on the inclusion of biodiversity impacts in mining EIAs. The results showed that most BIAs failed to properly consider biodiversity issues, with an overall satisfactory score of 43% before and 57% after 2013. Areas of weakness included project description, sensitivity mapping, stakeholder consultation, consideration of alternatives, and monitoring. The extent to which biodiversity specialist inputs were included in the main mining EIA reports showed an improvement after 2013, with an overall satisfactory score of 78%, compared to the 52% before 2013. The majority of the BIAs complied with the minimum requirements for specialist studies stipulated by the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA). The analysis of the questionnaires revealed inadequacies regarding the inclusion of biodiversity impacts. These included poor consideration of indirect and cumulative impacts, failure to incorporate environmental thresholds, and use of the ecosystem approach.

Mitigating impacts on ecosystem services requires more than biodiversity offsets

Biodiversity offsets are increasingly required as a condition to develop new projects in the context of the mitigation hierarchy. There is widespread understanding that conservation and restoration measures are necessary to maintain the supply of ecosystem services, but the relationship between biodiversity offsets and ecosystem services affected by development projects is still poorly understood. The extent to which biodiversity offsets can compensate for impacts on priority ecosystem services is analysed for a large iron ore mining project in Southeast Brazil. Evidence obtained from reviewing offsets and mitigation measures implemented as part of environmental impact assessment shows that specific ecosystem services-oriented offset strategies are necessary and that mitigation devoted to other impacts - especially on water - have potential to address impacts on ecosystem services. Actions such as conducting an ex ante ecosystem services review, integrating biodiversity with social mitigation measures and stakeholder engagement are necessary to simultaneously offset impacts on biodiversity and on priority ecosystem services.

Governance of Water in Southern Chile: An Analysis of the Process of Indigenous Consultation as a Part of Environmental Impact Assessment

The management and organization of water resources shapes complex territorial scenarios. This is seen in south-central Chile, where the construction of hydropower plants in Indigenous territories has strained relations between the state, the Mapuche people and hydropower companies. We analyze the Indigenous consultation process to identify the relations between actors and the role of state institutions to evaluate the extent to which these facilitate collective action. Using a case study methodology and qualitative analysis, we identify challenges to water governance, which relate to the degree of heterogeneity of communities; power inequalities within the consultation process and their influence on structures of decision-making.

Traffic Impact Assessment for Sustainable Development in Urban Areas

Since long, Traffic Impact assessment (TIA) has been recognized as an integral and mandatory part of Environmental Impact assessment in developed countries. Accordingly, it is mandated that any proposed development expected to generate 100 or more additional / new trips during peak hours should undergo a TIA However, in developing countries like India, TIA has gained importance only during the last decade spearheaded by the need to develop sustainable solutions to the congestion problem. In this paper we discuss the findings of two case studies one being an official complex coming up close in the Central Business District (CBD) area of New Delhi, India and the other being the assessment of the impact due to proposed extension of an Information Technology (IT) Park located at the Special Economic Zone at a distance of 4 Kms from the corporation limits along the eastern periphery of city of Madurai, Tamilnadu, India. The case studies highlight the importance of TIA and bring out the need to make TIA an integral and mandatory requirement in the case of new as well as capacity augmentation.

Skills and knowledge to facilitate competence for health and wellbeing in Environmental Impact Assessment

Abstract Within Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) any health impact assessed has routinely focused on environmental and socio-economic health determinants i.e. air quality/ emissions. However, the WHO recognises that health is much wider than this and health is influenced by a broad range of determinants, contexts, inequalities and experiences. Proposed development can affect a wide range of population groups and their health and well-being in diverse and significant ways. The revised EU EIA Directive contains amended wording in relation to health consideration but also now requires ‘competent’ persons to undertake assessments. Competency can mean different things to different people but a clear set of standards, criteria and appraisal tools, training and professional competence and abilities are needed in order to be explicit to measure this and articulate how competence should be demonstrated in practice. Findings This paper describes a clear set of expected skills and knowledge outcomes that competent practitioners and multi-disciplinary teams need to exhibit; which policy makers and commissioners need to seek; and which reviewers should expect see applied, in order to ensure that high quality, fit for purpose EIAs are carried out which include the widest interpretation of health, wellbeing and inequalities. It discusses the work of the Wales HIA Support Unit to train and mentor practitioners and organisations and presents resources to enable this such as its Skills and Knowledge Development Framework, which provides a pathway to develop and support competence in practice, and the Quality Assurance Review Framework for HIA. Conclusions To enable competent broad holistic assessments to be carried out a clear set of criteria, tools, resources and training opportunities are needed in order to enable and facilitate a wide range of personnel to deliver a wide and inclusive health appraisal as part of EIA.

Providing ecological context to anthropogenic subsea noise: Assessing listening space reductions of marine mammals from tidal energy devices

The deployment of tidal energy arrays is gaining momentum to provide marine renewable energy (MRE) to the global market. However, there are concerns over the potential impacts underwater noise emissions from operational devices may have on marine fauna. Auditory masking (the interference of important biological signals by anthropogenic noise) is a highly pervasive impact to marine fauna. We used a relatively new approach to evaluate the effects of noise from operational tidal energy devices on the listening space of marine mammals. Here, listening space reductions (LSR) for harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) were assessed in winter and summer for two tidal energy devices of different designs. Results demonstrated that LSR was influenced by type of turbine, species, and season. For instance, LSRs for harbour seals were in excess of 80% within 60 m, whilst for harbour porpoises they were in excess of 55% within 10 m of the devices. For both species, LSRs were highest during winter, characterised by low ambient noise conditions. These findings highlight the importance of assessing masking over seasons, as masking effects are highly influenced by ambient noise conditions. Understanding the natural variation within seasons is also particularly relevant for tidal turbine noise assessments as devices are typically situated in highly dynamic environments. Since masking effects occur at the lower level of behavioural impacts in marine mammals, assessing the spatial extent of masking as part of environmental impact assessments is recommended. The listening space formula, which is largely based on measurable environmental factors (device and ambient noise), is transferable to any MRE device, or arrays, for any species (for which an audiogram can be assumed) and therefore provides an effective method to better inform MRE pre- and post-consenting processes.

Social impact assessment in the Russian Federation: does it meet the key values of democracy and civil society?

ABSTRACTContemporary social impact assessment (SIA) is rooted in the concepts of civil society and democracy. We analyse whether SIA as practiced in the Russian Federation as part of environmental impact assessment (EIA) is consistent with the key values of civil society and democracy. We consider whether the Russian EIA requirements enable preparation of meaningful assessments that effectively contribute to the decision-making processes that affect people’s lives. We review the Rsussian EIA legislation and its requirements for SIA and social baseline, and consider the EIA/SIA practice undertaken in response to these requirements. We specifically analyse the Karmen coal mining project in South Yakutia. We compare the EIA documents completed according to national requirements against the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) documents prepared to be consistent with international standards, as defined by the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards. We conclude that the national requirements for SIA in Russia and the way they are implemented do not encourage the development of meaningful SIAs that comply with the key concepts and social values of SIA, civil society and democracy.

Behaviour related flight speeds of Sandwich Terns and their implications for wind farm collision rate modelling and impact assessment

Accurate quantification of flight speeds is a prerequisite to accurately predict the numbers of collision victims of proposed wind farms using collision rate models that are a vital part of Environmental Impact Assessments. We used GPS-loggers on Sandwich Terns to collect novel data on instantaneous flight speeds during foraging trips, separated for different behavioural stages, and applied these estimates in a widely used collision rate model. Average flight speed during a foraging trip corrected for individual variation and flight type was 36.9 ± 12.3 SD km h−1 and flight speed was highest during inbound commuting (44.4 ± 12.0 km h−1) and lowest during foraging (29.9 ± 10.7 km h−1). Our results show significant differences in flight speeds of Sandwich Terns between behaviour stages during foraging trips, which resulted in divergent estimates of collision victims due to wind turbines depending on the function of the area in which wind farms are proposed. Since these conclusions are likely to hold for many other bird species, we conclude that behaviour of birds in a proposed wind farm is a factor to take into account when modelling collision rates as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment.

Simplifying Section 106 review: A proposal for “streamlining” a complex part of environmental impact assessment

Compliance with Section 106 of the U.S. National Historic Preservation Act is often and understandably seen as an unduly complicated, expensive, and unproductive part of environmental impact assess...

Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin occurrence north of Lantau Island, Hong Kong, based on year-round passive acoustic monitoring.

Long-term passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was conducted to study Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Sousa chinensis, as part of environmental impact assessments for several major coastal development projects in Hong Kong waters north of Lantau Island. Ecological acoustic recorders obtained 2711 days of recording at 13 sites from December 2012 to December 2014. Humpback dolphin sounds were manually detected on more than half of days with recordings at 12 sites, 8 of which were within proposed reclamation areas. Dolphin detection rates were greatest at Lung Kwu Chau, with other high-occurrence locations northeast of the Hong Kong International Airport and within the Lung Kwu Tan and Siu Ho Wan regions. Dolphin detection rates were greatest in summer and autumn (June-November) and were significantly reduced in spring (March-May) compared to other times of year. Click detection rates were significantly higher at night than during daylight hours. These findings suggest high use of many of the proposed reclamation/development areas by humpback dolphins, particularly at night, and demonstrate the value of long-term PAM for documenting spatial and temporal patterns in dolphin occurrence to help inform management decisions.

Underwater sound of rigid-hulled inflatable boats.

Underwater sound of rigid-hulled inflatable boats was recorded 142 times in total, over 3 sites: 2 in southern British Columbia, Canada, and 1 off Western Australia. Underwater sound peaked between 70 and 400 Hz, exhibiting strong tones in this frequency range related to engine and propeller rotation. Sound propagation models were applied to compute monopole source levels, with the source assumed 1 m below the sea surface. Broadband source levels (10-48 000 Hz) increased from 134 to 171 dB re 1 μPa @ 1 m with speed from 3 to 16 m/s (10-56 km/h). Source power spectral density percentile levels and 1/3 octave band levels are given for use in predictive modeling of underwater sound of these boats as part of environmental impact assessments.

Visual Impact Assessment: Where Have We Come from and Where Are We Going?

This paper is a historical overview of the development of visual impact assessment (VIA) methodology as implemented by US Federal agencies from the 1960s until the current time. VIA methods are to be used as part of environmental impact assessment for projects which could have significant impact on landscape aesthetics. Also included are methodological challenges with current large-scale renewable energy development in the US and Europe.

The Sri Lanka environmental flow calculator: a science-based tool to support sustainable national water management

As Sri Lankan water resources are being increasingly exploited, particularly for hydropower and irrigation, ecologists, water practitioners and policymakers alike are realizing the importance of protecting these resources and setting environmental sustainability thresholds. Environmental flows (EF) – the concept that helps define such thresholds – has now become an integral part of environmental impact assessments of river basin development projects. Considering EF is especially vital in the context of the accelerated infrastructure development program, launched after the end of the war in the north and the east of the country in 2009. This paper describes a simple, user-friendly software tool that facilitates quick, first-hand estimation of EF in Sri Lankan rivers. The tool uses ‘natural’ or ‘unregulated’ monthly flow time series, at any river location to construct a flow duration curve that is then modified depending on the desired condition of a river – an environmental management class – to generate an EF time series. The tool includes historical flow records from 158 gauged locations, but users may also feed in (observed/simulated) external data. The paper illustrates the application of the tool at two locations of existing/planned infrastructure projects and discusses its usefulness as a policy tool.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: EXPERIENCE AND CHALLENGES IN LITHUANIA

In 2011, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Law amendment was approved and a socio-economic assessment formally became an integrated part of EIA in Lithuania. Therefore, this study examines a socio-economic assessment in the environmental impact statements (EIS) and the perceptions of the EIA experts towards a socio economic assessment. Although formally a socio-economic assessment has been validated only recently, 30% of specialists claimed having conducted a socio-economic assessment in detail prior to the amendments to the law. Thus, the EIS analysis has shown a rather poor consideration of these issues as mainly creation of work places was addressed. The survey has shown that preparation of the EIA documents after the formalisation of a socio-economic assessment would change mainly nominally. The EIA experts working in the private sector were more optimistic than those from state institutions. Reluctance of changes and personal attitudes have to be addressed, especially those particular to the experts of state institutions. In addition, methodological guidance, integrative approach and public involvement into the decision-making process could change the current situation and increase the effectiveness of the EIA process and the social impact assessment in general.

Direct evidence of histopathological impacts of wastewater discharge on resident Antarctic fish (Trematomus bernacchii) at Davis Station, East Antarctica

During the 2009/2010 summer, a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the wastewater discharge at Davis Station, East Antarctica was completed. As part of this, histological alteration of gill and liver tissue in Antarctic Rock-cod (Trematomus bernacchii) from four sites along a spatial gradient from the wastewater outfall were assessed. All fish within 800m of the outfall exhibited significant histological changes in both tissues. Common pathologies observed in fish closest to the outfall include proliferation of epithelial cells with associated secondary lamellar fusion in the gills and multifocal granulomata with inflammation and necrosis as well as cysts in the liver. Fish from sites >800m from the outfall also exhibited alterations but to a lesser degree, with prevalence and severity decreasing with increasing distance from the outfall. This study highlights the value of histopathological investigations as part of EIAs and provides the first evidence of sub-lethal alteration associated with wastewater discharge in East Antarctica.

Hourly-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Electricity Possibilities for Households and Companies to Decrease Their Emissions

The various emissions, including GHG emissions, from electricity production are a crucial part of environmental impact assessments of any kinds of products, services and consumption. Usually average annual emissions are used, but electricity market has lately increased interest in daily-based and hourly-based emission coefficients for electricity. In such markets, where technology mixture of the production includes technologies with widely different emission factors, there is potential for large variation in hourly based emission factors and consequently this offers potential for decreasing GHG emissions by efficient real-time based demand management. In this paper, we determine hourly based GHG emission factors and give examples how GHG emissions may be decreased in households and companies by changing the use patterns, and consequently timing of electricity use, the total amount of electricity consumption being unchanged. Electricity production in Finland, as well as the electricity consumption in Finnish households and companies are used as the cases. The examples from households and companies indicate the potential of managing hourly based demand loads and resulting GHG emissions. So far hourly-based emission coefficients have not been used (at least in significant amounts) in demand management in order to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change.

A web application to support the quantification and valuation of ecosystem services

Assessing the impacts of policies on a wide range of ecosystem services can support the development of cost-effective policies that establish win–win situations across different environmental domains. To explore the quantity and value of ecosystem services, the web-based application “nature value explorer” was developed. The application allows to estimate the impact of land use and land cover change on regulating and cultural ecosystem services in Flanders, Belgium. To ensure the applicability in day-to-day decision making as part of environmental impact assessments, user requirements were investigated prior to tool development. Finding the optimal balance between accuracy and complexity on the one hand and flexibility and user-friendliness on the other hand was an important challenge. To date, the nature value explorer has been successful in drawing the interest of policy makers and has been used several times to support decisions in infrastructure projects as well as in nature restoration projects in Flanders. This paper discusses the user requirements, the main tool characteristics, potential policy applications and future improvements. Three case studies illustrate the functionalities of the tool in day-to-day decision making. The tool can be consulted on http://www.natuurwaardeverkenner.be.

Analysis on Environmental Materials for Energy Saving with Protection Measures of Integrated Circuit Industry

Power integrated circuit chip(ICC) is one kind of environmental material for energy saving. In order to analyze the reliability on environmental protection measures of integrated circuit industry, a proposed ICC project was taken as an example to investigate and analyze its engineering features and processing measures on production waste water, waste gas, waste solid and liquid, noise control and plant greening. It showed that there were 5 kinds of production wastewater containing acid & alkali, fluorine, ammonia, grinding impurity and organic respectively and 4 kinds of waste gases i.e. acid/alkali, organic solvent and process exhaust waste gases. Pollution treatment measures for wastewater, sewage and waste gases were mature technically and were effective with high efficiency. Treated wastewater can meet state discharge standards. Gas pollutants could be removed by around 90%. Dangerous waste solids and liquids would be delivered to the qualified company. Measures of vibration reduction, noise elimination, sound absorption and insulation etc. would be taken to control noises from power station and create a good environment. This work is an indispensable part of environmental impact assessment on IC industry.

The U.S. Forest Service's analysis of cumulative effects to wildlife: A study of legal standards, current practice, and ongoing challenges on a National Forest

Cumulative effects analysis (CEA) allows natural resource managers to understand the status of resources in historical context, learn from past management actions, and adapt future activities accordingly. U.S. federal agencies are required to complete CEA as part of environmental impact assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Past research on CEA as part of NEPA has identified significant deficiencies in CEA practice, suggested methodologies for handling difficult aspects of CEA, and analyzed the rise in litigation over CEA in U.S. courts. This article provides a review of the literature and legal standards related to CEA as it is done under NEPA and then examines current practice on a U.S. National Forest, utilizing qualitative methods in order to provide a detailed understanding of current approaches to CEA. Research objectives were to understand current practice, investigate ongoing challenges, and identify impediments to improvement. Methods included a systematic review of a set of NEPA documents and semi-structured interviews with practitioners, scientists, and members of the public. Findings indicate that the primary challenges associated with CEA include: issues of both geographic and temporal scale of analysis, confusion over the purpose of the requirement, the lack of monitoring data, and problems coordinating and disseminating data. Improved monitoring strategies and programmatic analyses could support improved CEA practice.