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This study analysed 40 planning applications in the East of England to investigate the practice of translating paper recommendations in the environmental statement (ES) into legal conditions and obligations. A high proportion (50%) of suggested mitigation measures were not translated into planning conditions or obligations. However, a significant number of additional conditions or obligations, not directly based on the ES, were imposed on developers. The research suggests a mismatch between the practice of those producing ESs and the expectations of planning authorities, leading to inefficiency and, possibly, emasculation of environmental impact assessment through a failure to implement mitigation. Several recommendations are made to increase the effectiveness of the implementation and integration of mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is central to determining whether the assessment outcomes and associated mitigation measures have had the desired effect and the environment has been protected on the ground. Despite the critical role this procedural stage plays, and the international attempts to advance practice in this area, monitoring continues to be poorly performed 20 years on from the implementation of the European SEA Directive. Several frameworks and approaches can be found in the academic literature, but many are conceptual and arguably fail to provide pragmatic unsophisticated solutions that are readily implementable in practice. This paper attempts to address this by first outlining common issues reported in the academic literature in the last two decades, then highlighting ongoing issues, as identified in two recent Irish research projects, such as poor definition of monitoring indicators and lack of integration of monitoring commitments into plans/programmes. It then puts forward a set of recommendations intended to foster a practical and sensible approach to kick monitoring into action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of a wealth of scientific literature, the concept of ecosystem services (ES) has little uptake in the worlds of planning and related environmental assessment. This paper is a personal search for the reasons of this lack of uptake, based on 20 years of consultancy experience in natural resources management, combined with a (non-exhaustive) survey of recent literature and an IAIA 2015 conference workshop. The paper takes stock of available lessons and ends with a simple and straightforward stepwise approach to use ES as an integrative concept in SEA. The paper also is a plea to stop complicating life and maybe for a while forget about computational models and monetary valuation, and first start asking stakeholders and decision-makers, listen to their language and find out what kind of information is relevant tothem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the Ethiopian Environmental Policy with focus on the institutional set-up and implemented Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures. The evaluation of EIA is done against a set of evaluation criteria. Specific legal provision for EIA application is well documented and the Environmental Protection Authority exists as the legal body. A chronological evaluation of the establishment of the environmental policy reveals that this process was more a result of donor requirements than of political will. Inconsistency on institutional level, non-existence of complementarities between institutions, and of environmental and investment policy and proclamations, contradict the enforcement of the EIA law. Furthermore lack of multidisciplinary experts, missing environmental baseline data, and lack of monitoring and post-auditing adversely affect the effectiveness of the EIA law. The paper concludes that, besides other important measures, the Ethiopian EIA law needs to be adapted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the need for and the conceptual challenges/issues in exercising biodiversity impact assessment (BIA), a subject hardly considered in most environmental impact assessment (EIA) activities so far. The paper attempts to lay the foundation for how future assessments can address biodiversity impacts more explicitly. The paper shows how development interventions and projects meant to take care of peoples' livelihoods are impacting on biodiversity. It presents the possible directions BIA has to focus in integrating externalities to inform decision making on the feasibility of development interventions. This is in essence to prevent, reduce and offset any adverse impacts (on biodiversity) of future development interventions. Addressing biodiversity valuation issues and identifying the appropriate methods to quantify the impacts will remain imperative in future endeavours to evaluate biodiversity impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly introduces the ‘biodiversity-related’ treaties or conventions, and their rather basic provisions (but deeper implications) regarding impact assessment. Some initiatives in the past decade to develop this area are reviewed, in particular, the building of linkages between the conventions world and the environmental impact assessment/strategic environmental assessment (EIA/SEA) world, adoption of decisions and guidance, and project activities. The paper reflects on what EIA/SEA can offer to implementation of conventions, and in turn what conventions can offer to the application and advancement of EIA/SEA. Some future directions and opportunities are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying strategies for conducting impact assessment (IA) suited to unconventional fossil fuel (UFF) development, and practical opportunities to apply them, is an important activity given the continued importance of shale and other UFF energy resources. This paper offers a case study of an iterative public health planning process – Mobilizing Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) – that produced a version of integrated IA over a 10-year period in the Bakken region in the US. Through mixed qualitative methods, including focus groups, Ripple Effect Mapping and interviews, this study assessed the applicability of the MAPP process in the UFF development environment. The assessment draws on evaluation frameworks offered in theoretical and applied IA literatures. We found evidence to recommend MAPP as a possible solution to the lack of mandated, formal IA practices in UFF regions in the US based on three benefits: (1) MAPP aligns closely with IA best practices in form and approach; (2) our case study suggests that MAPP creates the for direct linkages between assessment, monitoring, and mitigation that are frequently absent in IA processes; and (3) participants in the process in our study note its utility in helping them negotiate the specific challenges of UFF development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers how impact assessment practice relating to all aspects of the water environment will be affected by the transposition of the amended environmental impact assessment (EIA) Directive (2014/52/EU) into UK legislation. Key elements of the new Directive are identified, such as requirements relating to monitoring, climate change (including adaptation), biodiversity, human health and coordination with Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) (WFD) Assessment. The extent to which existing guidance and practice already meet these new requirements is assessed, through a review of relevant guidance and selected environmental statements (ESs). Key areas where water impact assessment (WIA) practice needs to be adapted to take account of the new requirements are identified. Substantial changes in practice are likely to be required to incorporate human health assessment into WIA and to demonstrate that competent experts are used to conduct WIA. New guidance will be needed relating to competent experts and improved guidance will be required for WFD Assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact significance determination lies at the heart of environmental impact assessment (EIA) but conflict and misunderstanding around the concept is common. This paper attempts to make sense of impact significance in EIA based on four essential components of significance synthesised from the literature to ensure that: (1) a clear operational framework for significance determination applies throughout EIA, (2) attention focuses only on significant issues, (3) the term significance is specified and applied consistently, and (4) significance determinations are transparent to all EIA stakeholders. To provide a practical perspective, the extent to which EIA institutional provisions in Western Australia uphold these significance determination components is reviewed. Overall the Western Australian approach generally meets all four components, but areas for improvement include better guidance encouraging proponents to adopt a more consultative approach to determining relevant environmental factors and objectives to better focus EIA, and distinguishing between terms used for significance within EIA documentation. A new significance framework approach in Western Australia represents a clear attempt to uplift practice, but opportunity exists to improve the way impact significance determinations are presented to stakeholders. EIA practitioners may benefit from mapping and making sense of impact significance in their own jurisdiction using the four components presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) – its direct impact on policies, plans and programs (PPPs) and its indirect and longer-term impacts. Criteria for assessing SEA's impact are developed and applied in the Canadian context based on a survey of SEA practitioners, and the perceived opportunities and challenges to realizing the full impact of SEA explored. Results indicate that SEA does have a direct impact on PPPs, but its indirect impacts are either constrained or difficult to distinguish from an agency's normal policies, practices and innovations. Amongst the most significant challenges to realizing the indirect impacts of SEA is the lack of shared vision for SEA by those responsible for implementation, and incongruences between the need for rapid results by way of PPP approval versus the long-term commitment required to realize many of the benefits of SEA. Indirect impacts require more explicit consideration at the outset of the SEA design process than what is currently the case if the benefits of SEA are to be fully recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil exploration presently takes place offshore NW of Greenland. The recent entry of the oil industry in this sparsely populated area carries the potential for radical and unpredictable societal change. To ensure local adaptation, Public participation (PP) is implemented as a legal requirement in environmental impact assessment of offshore oil exploration. However, NGOs and associations, industry and individuals in Greenland express general frustration of how PP is conducted. This paper presents an analysis of stakeholders' PP perceptions and their implications in Greenland. It is found that differences in PP purpose perceptions among stakeholders cause disagreement on what is considered good performance. Furthermore, the stakeholders disagree on the desired level of engagement. While NGOs emphasise a need for PP to influence decision-making, the public seems to accept a role as passive recipients of information about decisions already made. This leads to a discussion about the need for a more specific PP guideline based on dialogue among stakeholders, with emphasis on the cultural barriers related to power structures and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the implementation and enforcement of environmental licensing and environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulations and decisions in the context of the Rio 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil. The methodology includes detailed case study analysis involving document analysis and interviews with key stakeholders. The results demonstrate that implementation and enforcement of EIA and environmental licensing still have a long way to go in terms of being fully effective in Brazil. Despite this, in the scope of the case study, the results showed that implementation and enforcement of environmental licensing and EIA regulations and decisions seem to be undertaken according to relevant regulations in the context of the Pan American Village. Finally, recommendations for major sports events and for the Brazilian context to strengthen its regulatory framework for environmental licensing and EIA are developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A formal environmental impact assessment (EIA) system was introduced in Egypt through Environmental Protection Law No. 4 of 1994. This paper evaluates the EIA system in Egypt by using both 'systemic' and 'foundation' evaluation criteria. The methodology is based on an investigation of EIA legislation, a review of guidelines and relevant documents, and interviews with EIA practitioners. The main factors affecting EIA best practice in Egypt are the limited numbers of local experts, inadequate public consultation, lack of environmental data, weak follow-up, and the absence of longterm land-use plans. Recommendations to strengthen the system include improving capacity building, implementing an effective EIA consultants' accreditation system, ensuring effective public participation and access to EIA reports, applying systematic environmental impact statement (EIS) review criteria and promoting environmental awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consultations with concerned stakeholders are a cornerstone to effective impact assessment, not only within Canada, but internationally as well. The environment is of paramount importance to Indigenous communities, as many continue to rely heavily on the land and natural resources for their subsistence, including their socio-economic, cultural, spiritual and physical survival. Indigenous communities want reassurances from governments and industry that negative impacts associated with projects, programs or policies in their territories will be minimized and that positive impacts will be maximized. Communities want to be involved in the development, implementation and interpretation of the impact assessment report to assure themselves of the environmental, social, spiritual and health impacts associated with the exploitation of the local natural resources. This paper presents efforts by the Environmental Health Research Division of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada, to assist Indigenous communities in carrying out community-based research to improve health and well-being by building and supporting their capacity to identify, understand and control impacts associated with projects, programs or policies implemented within their territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the introduction of the environmental impact assessment notification of 1994, there has been considerable research related to EIA procedures in India. Research has emphasized predominantly 'developing appropriate regulations' and 'institutional procedures necessary to implement them'. As follow-up is usually associated with post-decision stages in EIA, a sound design stage is crucial for laying down its foundations. This paper explores follow-up considerations during the pre-decision stage of open cast coal mines in India and demonstrates the challenges posed within the Indian context. In doing so, the outcome of EIA reviews undertaken by the expert committee and the EIA reports are reviewed. It even goes a step further by relating the follow-up design stage in India to international principles of best practices of EIA follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has received considerable attention in recent years; however, the focus has been on the pre-decision stages of policies, plans and programs with much less attention to post-decision follow-up and monitoring. In those instances where SEA followup has been addressed, it has been done so much more from a conceptual than a practical perspective. As a result, the principles and concept of SEA follow-up are moving forward but we know little of the practice itself. This paper explores the practice and utility of SEA follow-up for twenty-year forest management planning and assessment in Saskatchewan, Canada. To do this, we develop and implement an analytical framework consisting of the necessary strategic, design and procedural, and institutional principles to enable 'good' SEA follow-up. The overall objective is to identify opportunities to learn from experience and to help advance SEA follow-up from concept to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and policy environmental assessment (PEA), the term used to describe the application of SEA at the policy level, are widely accepted as means of including environmental concerns in decision-making. This paper develops and tests a checklist for assessing policies with a biodiversity focus, drawing on principles from PEA and biodiversity conservation. The development and testing of such a checklist has been rarely reported in the literature. The checklist was applied to five natural resource management policies in Western Australia and the 19 policy workers involved in the study were then asked to reflect on the checklist's usefulness. A key finding was that the checklist allowed policy workers to report against PEA and biodiversity conservation principles. Another was that when the assessed policies were closely aligned with rational decision-making, the checklist proved to be reproducible (a desirable attribute), and easy to use. Lastly the context within which the policies were developed strongly influenced how policy workers responded to the checklist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) application to city development strategy (CDS) reveals the strategic nature of both instruments and their potential multiplier effect on enhancing synergies for sustainable development. The adequacy of the two strategic tools for a complementary approach to integration towards sustainable development raises an outstanding opportunity to walk the talk in view of enhancing sustainable development. In Vietnam, SEA and CDS are being considered jointly in the context of urban development projects and public administration reform. The main features of the link between SEA and CDS are described in this paper, after introducing the SEA and CDS concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes an analog case for assessing cumulative impacts. An American Indian solar calendar was identified in the first large-scale power line environmental impact assessment (EIA) in an isolated region of southern Utah in 1983. That study identified increased access as a potential adverse impact, but that the solar calendar would be best protected by a commitment of silence. During the next 25 years, five utility projects were placed in this corridor. In 2006, an American Indian study team revisited the site and found it and the pilgrimage trail to it exposed to recreational visitors and partially damaged. Indian leaders chose to now publicly discuss the site so they can recommend in a new EIA mitigations to protect the solar calendar by restricting access and interpretative signs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization and urban growth have caused serious environmental problems in most cities of developing countries. Many infrastructure projects on varying scales have been implemented to meet the growing demands of such cities, but only a few are subjected to environmental impact assessment as part of the project approval process. In an attempt to justify environmental assessment (EA) for all infrastructure development projects (IDPs), irrespective of their scales, this paper investigates the environmental effects of large, medium and small IDPs implemented in urban fringe areas to understand and compare the nature of their impacts. The survey results show that respondents' perceptions of physical environment pertaining to air quality and noise were similar regardless of the scale of the project. However, in terms of vibration, surface water quality and ground water quality, the respondents' perceptions differed between large projects and small or medium projects. In order to avoid such negative impacts from IDPs in the future, this study proposes a mechanism for integrating EA into the planning and development control processes of local authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollution arising from oil prospecting and exploration in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria has impacted negatively on the biodiversity of the affected areas. The main stresses arise from leakages of crude oil, gas flaring and the escape of other chemicals used in production processes. Effects on the flora and fauna of freshwater ecosystems in this part of Nigeria have been noticed. The government has established laws for protection of the environment from oil exploration, but these must be made effective in terms of implementation, enforcement and monitoring by responsible agencies. The oil companies operating in this region have also contributed to reducing the impacts of their activities on the host environment. This paper discusses the various impacts that oil production has had so far on the biodiversity of this unique part of Nigeria, and reports on efforts made by the government, oil companies and non-governmental organizations to remedy the situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known in impact assessment that predictive model outputs will be as credible as their inputs and that model assumptions will drive outputs. What is less well known is how the practice of integrated impact assessment with its pervasive use of predictive computer models and multiple teams of consultants can influence evidence relied upon in deliberations over the impacts and benefits of major projects. This paper draws on an integrated impact assessment of a major energy infrastructure project in Australia known as Basslink to examine the epistemic implications of current practice. It will be argued that what has become standard procedure can serve to diminish the disclosure of prediction uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian aid projects carried out after the Southeast Asia tsunami must protect, conserve and manage environmental resources for sustained household and community recovery. This paper explores the role and contributions of environmental assessment (EA) in assessing and managing the impacts of these projects. The focus is on community-based EA of small, village-level rehabilitation and reconstruction projects typically implemented by nongovernmental organizations for long-term recovery. Lessons from an EA case study of housing reconstruction in Indonesia show that community EA can provide timely information for protecting water supply and reducing risk of slope movement, and that community participation can provide useful input for site planning, rehabilitating farmland and securing land title for women-headed households. These contributions are useful for sustainable project design, local resource management, and facilitating the transition from temporary to permanent housing. Future prospects for community EA include strengthening linkages among strategic and rapid forms of EA, compliance with EA requirements increasingly reinstated after the emergency phase, and greater use of supplementary or alternative EA approaches such as class assessments [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expectations of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) regarding the integration of environmental and sustainability concerns into policy-making are high. Although evidence of its impact up to now is only indirect and, more important, appears to be modest, more attention has to be paid to the fact that the term 'impact' can be interpreted in different ways and to the importance of context in impact analysis. In this paper, we propose an assessment framework in which these aspects are explicitly addressed. To illustrate and verify the practical value of our framework we analyse four Dutch SEA case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the environmental impact assessment (EIA) system in Eritrea against a set of evaluation criteria. It analyses the institutional aspects of EIA, the process of EIA, together with other features of the system. The review indicates that the current EIA system in Eritrea meets eleven of the 18 evaluation criteria, partially meets three and fails to meet four. The major weaknesses relate to; the lack of legal provision for EIA; inadequacy of resources; failure to make the EIA findings a key aspect of decision-making; and the lack of formal provision for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). To strengthen the current EIA system in the country, therefore, investment in training and continuing professional development in EIA for different stakeholders is needed. The most urgent priority is the establishment of a sound legal basis for EIA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water assessment has recently been introduced in the Netherlands as an instrument for implementing the Government's latest policy on the spatial management of water. Its objective is to guarantee that the interests of water are taken into account in spatial plans in an explicit and balanced way. In a water assessment process, which is flexibly integrated into all kinds of spatial planning procedures, water authorities are actively engaged from the outset in developing spatial plans. As well as describing water assessment's characteristics, this paper compares water assessment with environmental impact assessment and the proposed strategic environmental assessment in the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to mainstream environmental sustainability in the national development agenda, the Government of Lebanon is among the pioneers in the Middle East to launch the development of a national strategic environmental assessment (SEA) system that caters to the particularities of the Lebanese planning, regulatory and institutional context. This paper provides a critical overview of the approach followed by the Ministry of Environment for the development of an SEA system and its regulation. It also makes recommendations for facilitating SEA implementation and presents some of the early outcomes resulting from awareness raising during consultation on the development of the proposed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA), uses indicators, together with objectives and targets to monitor change and predict impacts of proposed plans and programmes on the environment. Several environmental receptors are outlined in the European Union SEA Directive that must be addressed. The numerous lists of indicators available may be useful but may also restrict and influence practitioners. In this paper, a theoretical methodology is presented for developing a set of objectives, targets and indicators for a specific proposed plan or programme. The main emphasis is on air, biodiversity, water and climatic factors, but the basic principles will be applicable to all other environmental receptors listed in the Directive. The output(s) will help maximise existing resources, minimise the need for new monitoring systems and reduce the cost of the implementation stage of SEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of methods for the strategic assessment of ecological connectivity, specially for fast growing metropolitan areas. This paper presents a new geographic information systems (GIS) methodology with this aim. It allows the diagnosis of the connectivity of terrestrial landscape ecosystems, on the basis of ecological functional areas and a cost-distance model that includes two compound indices: one for the barrier effect, and another for ecological connectivity, with three variations for the latter, designed for different applications. We applied this model to the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (Spain) assessing the identification of the direct and cumulative impacts on ecological connectivity within this area, resulting from the current artificial barriers, the planned urban growth, and a high-speed train project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the interrelationship among the development cycle of a typical engineering project, the EIA approvals process and environmental management systems is examined. It is suggested that small changes can be made to the way in which an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is presented to clarify the proponent's intent and to provide structured information that can be used in an environmental management system (EMS) to ensure that the predicted environmental issues associated with the project are effectively controlled. Experience with individual projects around the world has shown that streamlining the links between EIA and EMS can be achieved simply and successfully. The challenge for regulators and practitioners is to use this experience to revisit EIA and improve all EIA outcomes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the deliberative potential of environmental assessment (EA) is explored. The analysis is structured around four principles derived from Jürgen Habermas's conception of discourse as an ideal procedure for rational and democratic decision-making. The results show that there are many barriers to an implementation of the Habermasian principles. Nevertheless, it is concluded that EA has a 'hidden' deliberative potential, which follows from the institutional flexibility of EA, that is, because EA legislation specifies minimal requirement for public participation, requirements that developers and authorities can exceed by using more inclusive and more dialogue-based participatory tools. Finally, the need for additional investigations of deliberation in EA is discussed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The private sector has given relatively little attention to the emergence of strategic environmental assessment (SEA); even recently privatised utilities, where SEA might be deemed particularly appropriate, and whose activities are likely to fall within the scope of the European Union SEA Directive, have shown less interest than might be expected. However, the global trend towards the privatisation of state-owned enterprises makes the adaptation of SEA towards these industries all the more pressing. This paper addresses the place that SEA might take within the electricity sector, taking the privatised UK electricity industry as an example. Particular challenges are posed by the radical restructuring of the industry, designed to introduce competitive behaviour, making the development of comprehensive SEA processes problematic, and requiring SEA to be placed in the context of corporate environmental policy and objectives [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, using two case studies from the Hibernia offshore platform construction project, we argue that follow-up based on the hypothesis-testing approach typically adopted in bio-physical effects monitoring could be more widely adopted in socio-economic effects monitoring. While there are some significantly different issues associated with socio-economic and bio-physical monitoring, we argue that such an approach in the socio-economic context would encourage more focused attention on monitoring objectives, more appropriate data collection and clearer identification of project-specific impacts, thereby offering more credible and useful information to decision-makers than is now often the case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a comprehensive longitudinal research monitoring study of the construction of Sizewell B nuclear power station in the UK, the article highlights local socio-economic impacts and approaches to their better management. It explores local employment and expenditure impacts and ways to maximise local benefits. Approaches to the internalisation of some impacts, for example, on the housing market and on health services, to live within the capacity of local services, are also examined. Monitoring and controlling the impacts of a major project on the neglected area of crime provides another facet to the research. The paper concludes with an exploration of several barometers of local opinion of impacts, providing social constructions of the reality of the power station development. It provides examples of how the management of a major construction project in its local community can be clearly improved through a long running monitoring programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been done in recent years to generate international policy frameworks that promote the integration of biodiversity into impact assessment (Ramsar Convention, Resolution VIII.9 (2002), Convention on Biological Diversity, Decision VI-7 (2002), and the Convention on Migratory Species Resolution 7.2 (2002)), but effective implementation of these frameworks remains a challenge. While implementation of international policy is ultimately the responsibility of the national governments who have signed up to the conventions, others also have a role to play in translating policy commitments into action on the ground. This paper explores how the business community could play a role in moving towards implementing biodiversity and impact assessment policy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the current framework for, and practical application of, environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Malaysia and assesses the progress made towards adoption of strategic environmental assessment (SEA). EIA legislation was first introduced in 1987 and much progress has been made in enforcing compliance with the requirements. More recent moves towards devolution of EIA control to the states are an indicator of the influence that EIA is making, although there are still many practical constraints to be overcome. Even more recently, Malaysia has used SEA for area-wide schemes: the potential for this take up is evaluated Despite many problems, the EIA process continues to function and evidence of an emerging commitment to SEA bodes well for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Mexico has nominally been a democracy for nearly a century, it may at best be described as a ‘consolidating’ democracy. This status of the political system is clearly reflected in its EIA legislation, particularly with regard to the ‘participatory’ and ‘pluricultural’ dimen-sions, which relate, in broad terms, to an incipient civil society, limited public participation and inadequate integration of indigenous peoples. This paper analyses Mexico’s EIA legislation under these two dimensions of democracy and makes recommendations on how it should be amended to respond to the challenges of a consolidated democratic system, such as: broadening opportunities for public participation; making the system more accountable; and seeking legitimate means to integrate indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge in the EIA process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Poland has a tradition extending back to the 1980s. The main incentives for its evolution were the need to achieve harmonization with the legal requirements of the European Union as well as other international conventions. The Polish EIA concept has changed substantially since 2000. At present, it is treated as a process consisting of specific stages (screening, scoping, and so on), in which public involvement constitutes an integral part. This paper examines the evolution of the concept and legal framework for the EIA process in Poland and their potential influences on an effective EIA practice in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The requirements for strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in Estonia legally came into force on 1 January 2001. Since then, seven SEAs of national-level plans and programmes have been conducted. This paper, based on a survey of SEA stakeholders (public authorities, SEA experts and environmental non-governmental organisations), explores the perceptions of objectives and effects, and difficulties, of conducting SEAs at this level. SEA is considered to have had a tangible effect on the content of policy documents, stakeholder involvement and environ-mental education. However, the late start of the SEA process and different perception of its objectives by different stakeholders have probably limited its effectiveness. Several recommendations related to SEA procedure and capacity building are made to overcome these difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring is fundamental to environmental impact assessment (EIA) both to assess adherence to standards and to support management options. The use of indicators assures that a monitoring program addresses only the key variables associated with significant environmental impacts and also improves monitoring communication and reporting processes. This paper develops a conceptual framework to design and assess an environmental post-decision monitoring program under EIA procedures - INDICAMP. It also discusses how current indicator frameworks can be used to design and evaluate the performance of environmental monitoring programs in projects. A coastal infrastructure case study demonstrates the usefulness of this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]