Environmental

Environmental
Management
Management & &
Protection
Protection
Presented By:

Morris Rashiti
Environmental Management
Environmental management is concerned with the long term
conservation of natural systems and with their present outputs.

It involves many professions i.e. natural scientists, the design

professions – engineering, social scientists and economists.
All these practises require environmental knowledge of three
kinds
(i) A good general background in environmental issues and
consequences.
(ii) Knowledge of and experience in multi-disciplinary
activity.
(iii) Specific environmental skills in the practice of their
own discipline
Nath (1993) looks at 3 perspectives of Environmental Mgt.

1) The compartmental approach which considers impact on

water, soil, air, etc.

2) The ecosystems approach which considers various

environments such as coastal areas, cities, deserts in a
sustainable manner.

3) An instrument approach for implementation which

concerns various tools for measures for managing environmental
system i.e. Measures to conserve our environment
Env. Mgt. as can be seen from the 3 approaches above is about
systems.
1. It is viewed as a set of methods to be applied by technical
personnel to anticipate, prevent or mitigate environmental
damage from processes which impact on the environment.

2. In Envr. Mgt., there is always the concept of sustainable

management.

3. Sustainable management is defined as managing the use,

development and protection of natural and physical resources in a
way or at a rate which enables people and communities to
provide for their social, economic and cultural well-being and for
their safety and health wholly:
 Environmental Management: The Definition

1. Sustaining the protection of natural and physical resources

to meet the reasonably foreseeable needs of future
generations.

2. Safeguarding the life supporting capacity of air, water and

ecosystems.

3. Avoiding, remedying or mitigating any adverse effects of

activities on the environment.
 Environmental Protection

• Environmental protection refers to any activity to maintain or restore the quality

of environmental media through preventing the emission of pollutants or reducing
the presence of polluting substances in environmental media. It may consist of:
a) changes in characteristics of goods and services
b) changes in consumption patterns
c) Changes in production techniques
d) Treatment or disposal of residuals in separate environmental protection
facilities
(e) recycling, and

(f) prevention of degradation of the landscape and

ecosystems.
International Principles on Environmental Policy on
Sustainable Development

There are 4 principles which govern policy and legislation on the

environment.

1) The Polluter Pays Principle

2) The User Pays Principle:

3) The Precautionary Principle

4) The Subsidiary Principle

 1. The Polluter Pays Principle

• The polluter bears the expenses of preventing and controlling

pollution to ensure that the environment is in an acceptable state.
• The cost of these measures is to be reflected in the cost of goods
and services related to an activity.
• The principle states that: those who produce pollution should bear
the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health or the
environment.
• E.g. Since 2016 retailers in the Netherlands are no longer allowed
to give away free plastic bags, customers must either pay for one or
bring along their own.
 2. The User Pays Principle:

• UPP states that, “the price of a natural resource should reflect the full
range of the costs involved in using it, including the costs of the external
effects associated with exploitation, transforming and using the resources
together with the costs of future uses forgone.
• In Zimbabwe the resources which draws direct attention to this principle is
water usage.
• n policy terms however, UPP deals with a set of terms largely different
from PPP.
The basic principle of the UPP is that those who benefit should pay.

The expectation is that adopting UPP for charging for resource use
and consequently for allocating the resource would be a major
factor in reducing conflicts over resource use and thus minimising
environmental impacts and improve resource use efficiency.

UPP promotes wise use of resources (sustainable use).

 3. The Precautionary Principle
The PP requires that if there is a strong suspicion that a certain
activity may have environmentally harmful consequences….it is
better to control the activity now rather than to wait for scientific
evidence.
It reads “ in order to protect the environment, the precautionary
approach shall be widely applied by states according to their
capabilities, where their threats of serious irreversible damage,
lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for
postponing cost effective measures to prevent environmental
damage.
The PP forms the basis for the conventions on climate change
 4. The Subsidiary Principle

The essence of this principle is that decisions, including

political and administrative, should be taken 1st and foremost at
the lowest possible level, thus environmental issues at the
village level be taken by the villagers in that environment.
• Local people should be involved in decision making on
environmental issues.
• The rationale being that they know their environment better than
outsiders.
 4. The Subsidiary Principle
Locals manage environmental issues better when they are allowed to
make decisions and benefit from resources in their own
environment.
However, certain environmental resources particularly those
involving neighbouring villages may be taken at a higher level such
as the ward level.
Similarly, decisions on the environment may be taken at a district
level to the national and international levels.
The principle is based on an effective decentralisation process and
the associated devolution of power
The success of community projects, the world over, hinges on this
principle.

In Zimbabwe the example is the success of CAMPFIRE and the

DEAP (District Environmental Action Plan).

CAMPFIRE – Communal Areas Management Programme For

Indigenous Resources.

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT (E.I.A.)
According to Wathern (1998), an EIA is “a process of
identifying, predicting, evaluating and enhancing or mitigating
the impacts of the proposed development prior to major
decisions being taken and commitments made”.
Biswas A.K. and Geping Q. (1987), define EIA as “a planning
tool which assist planners in anticipating potential future
impacts of alternative development activities, both beneficial
and adverse, with a view of selecting the “optimal”
alternative which maximises beneficial effects and mitigates
adverse impacts on the environment”.
UNEP (1988), “EIA is a planning and assessment process
which involves forecasting environmental consequences of a
proposed development project.
 E.I.A.
It tries to expose the problems, conflicts or natural resource
constraints that could threaten the viability of a project by
analysing how a project may have harmful effects to people, their
homelands, their livelihoods and other nearby developments and
then come up with recommendations for eliminating or lessening
the severity of negative effects whilst enhancing positive effects.”
Ministry of Mines and Tourism (1997) in their EIA policy defines
EIA as “…assessment of a development project in terms of its
impact on the environment”
Impact: is a change in an environmental attribute which is due
to a project related activity e.g. reduction of flows downstream of
a dam.”…the air, land, water, plants, animals, humans and their
historical and cultural characteristics as expressed physically,
socially and economically.” (EIA Policy 1997:12)
 AIMS of an E.I.A
Glasson et al (1994) summarize the aims of EIA as:
i. To incorporate environmental protection into project planning
and implementation so as to minimize negative impacts of
projects on the environment.
ii. To provide options and measures for avoiding or
compensating for negative impacts and for capturing positive
benefits.
iii.To identify environmental monitoring and management needs
during construction and operation.
iv.To inform decision makers to determine whether to approve
or disapprove the project. To identify negative environmental
impacts that may be expected to occur due to the
implementation of a development activity.
 AIMS of an E.I.A.

v. To identify critical environmental problems which require

further studies and/or monitoring.
vi. To examine and select the optimal alternative from the
various relevant developmental options available.
vii. To involve the public in decision-making process related to
the environment
viii. To assist all parties involved in development and
environmental affairs to understand their roles,
responsibilities and overall relationships with one another.
 Why conduct an E.I.A.

Reasons for adopting EIA include:

i.There are real limits to the ability of the environment to
adapt or assimilate the impacts of human development.
ii.Curing environmental problems if possible at all, is usually
more costly than preventing them
iii.Environmental degradation can jeopardize the sustainability
of a project
iv.Opposition from environmental pressure groups can cause
delays in implementation.
 Operating Principles
EIA should be applied:-
i.To all development project activities likely to cause potentially
significant adverse impacts or add to actual or potentially foreseeable
cumulative effects.
ii.As a primary instrument for environmental management to ensure
that impacts of developments are minimized, avoided or rehabilitated.
iii.So that the scope of review is consistent with the nature of the
project or activity and commensurate with the likely issues and impacts.
iv.EIA should be undertaken throughout the project cycle, beginning as
early as possible in the conception of project plan or concept design
phase.
 E.I.A Policy and Legislation for Zimbabwe

The goals of the EIA policy are:

i. To encourage environmentally responsible investment and
development in Zimbabwe.
ii. To maintain the long-term ability of natural resources to
support human, plant and animal life.
iii.To conserve a broad diversity of plants, animals and
ecosystems; and the natural processes that they depend upon.
iv.To conserve the social, historical and cultural values of people
and their communities
v. Before a project is undertaken the Ministry of Environment
and Tourism should have approved the EIA.
 Key elements of the EIA process
EIA systems can be described by reference to three
components:
i.the legal and institutional framework of regulation, guidance
and procedure, which establishes the requirements for the
conduct of EIA;
ii.the steps and activities of the EIA process, as applied to
specific types of proposals; and
iii.the practice and performance of EIA, as evidenced by the
quality of EIA reports prepared, the decisions taken and the
environmental benefits delivered.
 Basic responsibilities
1. The proponent - carries out the EIA in accordance with
directions given by the competent authority (usually the
agency which makes the final decision on the proposal but in
certain cases an independent commission or panel).
2. An environment agency (or in some cases a specialised EIA
body) - oversees the process and reviews the study with
inputs from other government departments.

 EIA studies are carried out by an interdisciplinary team,

which is appointed specifically to the task and has an
appropriate range of scientific, economic and social
expertise.
 Public Involvement
• Nearly all EIA systems make provision for some type of public
involvement.
• This term includes public consultation (or dialogue) and public
participation, which is a more interactive and intensive process
of stakeholder engagement.
• Most EIA processes are undertaken through consultation
rather than participation.
• At a minimum, public involvement must provide an
opportunity for those directly affected by a proposal to express
their views regarding the proposal and its environmental and
social impacts.
Purpose of public involvement is to:
i.inform the stakeholders about the proposal and its likely
effects;
ii.canvass their inputs, views and concerns; and
iii.take account of the information and views of the public in the
EIA and decision making.

Key objectives of public involvement are to:

•obtain local and traditional knowledge that may be useful for
decision-making;
•facilitate consideration of alternatives, mitigation measures and
tradeoffs;
•ensure that important impacts are not overlooked and benefits
are maximised;
iv. reduce conflict through the early identification of
contentious issues;
v. provide an opportunity for the public to influence project
design in a positive manner (thereby creating a sense of
ownership of the proposal);
vi. improve transparency and accountability of decision-
making; and
vii. increase public confidence in the EIA process
EIA Process in Zimbabwe
• EIA Process Flow Chart .pdf
 Benefits of EIA
i. Better environmental planning and design of a proposal.
Carrying out an EIA entails an analysis of alternatives in the
design and location of projects.
ii. This can result in the selection of an improved technology,
which lowers waste outputs or an environmentally optimum
location for a project.
iii. A well-designed project can minimise risks and impacts on the
environment and people, and thereby avoid associated costs of
remedial treatment or compensation for damage.
iv. Ensuring compliance with environmental standards.
Compliance with environmental standards reduces damage to
the environment and disruption to communities.
v. It also avoids the likelihood of penalties, fines and loss of trust
and credibility.
 Development Of Legislation, Policy and Institutions

Prior to 1970, many countries had enacted legislation to control specific

problems such as air and water pollution and soil erosion.

A feature of the 1970s and the 1980s has been the introduction of broad
spectrum environmental legislation, an indicator of widening concern
and of the need for action at the national and international level.
 Development Of Legislation, Policy and Institutions

Legislation is usually needed to make a significant change in direction,

re-order priorities and establish new institutions that are vital to progress.

This is true of environmental legislation often seen as a curtailment of

freedom and property rights by societies in which abuse of freedom and
property rights have brought on environmental degradation.
 Environmental Management in Zimbabwe
Environmental Management Act (EMA)
Currently there are efforts to reform our environmental laws to
ensure that our environment has a brighter more sustainable
future.
Before 2003, there were over 20 environmental laws administered
by at least 8 different ministries in Zimbabwe.
The majority of these laws were developed and enacted by the
former government of Rhodesia.
Therefore their values, policies and mechanisms represented those
of a different government philosophy and did not adequately
reflect the needs and the desires of Zimbabwe.
These environmental laws were largely of the command and
control system.

They focused on licences and permits and were not respected,

they were fines and criminal prosecution.

Because of the large number of laws and agencies involved, they

were a great deal of overlap and duplication.

On behalf of the government of Zimbabwe, the Ministry of

Mines, Environment and Tourism led the environmental law
reform process.
 Group Work
In groups work on the following for presentation in class on
Friday the 21st of January 2022.
Group Topic
1 Mines and Minerals Act
2 Mining ( Health and Sanitation) Regulations
3 Mining (Management and Safety) Regulations
4 Mining (Alluvial Gold (Public Streams) Regulations
5 Environmental Management Act
6 National Museums and Monuments Act
7 Water Act
8 Parks and Wildlife Act
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

LCA is defined as a method for analysing and determining the

environmental impact along the product chain of (technical) systems.
It includes the various types of technical conversions that occur in the
manufacturing process.
These consist of:
•change of material chemistry (chemical conversion), material
formulation, or material structure;
•the removal of material resulting in an increase of (primary) outputs
over the inputs;
•joining and assembly of materials resulting in a decrease of (primary)
outputs over the inputs.
LCA
Everything that is produced goes through five main life cycle
stages
1.Material extraction (raw material extraction)
2.Manufacturing and processing
3.Packaging and transportation
4.Use
5.End of life (Disposal)
•At each of these stages, there are inputs and outputs. Flow
throughs, value losses, and potential gains.
•LCA is hence a primary tool used to support decision making for
sustainable development t.
 Why LCA?
• Helps quantify environmental impacts of product
development i.e. energy consumption or air emissions
• Recognize inefficiencies or significant changes across life
cycle phases.
• Reduce overall environmental impact and costs.
• Sustainable development
• Development of eco friendly products aqnd services.
 Environmental Management System
(EMS)
Environmental Management System.ppt
F.I.N.I.T.O.