ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Principles
Environmental Impact Assessment should be: Purposive - the process should
inform decision making and result in appropriate levels of environmental
protection and community well-being. Rigorous - the process should apply
“best practicable” science, employing methodologies and techniques
appropriate to address the problems being investigated. Practical - the process This environmental
should result in information and outputs which assist with problem solving
and are acceptable to and able to be implemented by proponents. Relevant - the impact assessment (EIA)
process should provide sufficient, reliable and usable information for
framework attempts to
development planning and decision making. Cost-effective - the process should
achieve the objectives of EIA within the limits of available information, time, provide broad guidelines
resources and methodology.
to help African countries
integrate environmental
History concerns in their
National Development
Strategies (NDS)
EIA as a mandatory regulatory procedure originated through appropriate
in the early 1970s, with the implementation of the political, social and
National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) 1969 in the economic structures.
US. A large part of the initial development took place
in a few high-income countries, like Canada,
Australia, and New Zealand (1973-74). However, there
were some developing countries as well, which
introduced EIA relatively early - Columbia (1974),
Philippines (1978).
Framework Of EIA