Participation, presentation and review - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 181

environmental impacts that they should be stopped. However, it is unlikely that all major
environmental issues will have been resolved by the time the statement is written.
Wrong: The proposed site lies adjacent to lagoons, mud and sands which
form four regional Special Sites of Scientific Interest [sic] . The loss of
habitat for birds, is unlikely to be significant, owing to the availability of
similar habitats in the vicinity.
Table 6.3 provides a simple example of a clear presentation of the environmental effects
of a road development on adjacent areas. Table 6.4 provides an example of a summary
table of environmental impacts.
6.4.3 Presentation
Although it would be good to report that EISs are read only for their contents and clarity,
in reality, presentation can have a great influence on how they are received. EIAs are,
indirectly, public relations exercises, and an EIS can be seen as a publicity document for
the developer. Good presentation can convey a concern for the environment, a rigorous
approach to the impact analysis and a positive attitude to the public. Bad presentation, in
turn, suggests a lack of care, and perhaps a lack of financial backing. Similarly, good
presentation can help to convey information clearly, whereas bad presentation can
negatively affect even a well-organized EIS.
The presentation of an EIS will say much about the developer. The type of paper
used—recycled or not, glossy or not, heavy- or lightweight—will affect the image
projected, as will the choice of coloured or black-and-white diagrams and the use of
dividers between chapters. The ultra-green company will opt for double-sided printing on
recycled paper, while the luxury developer will use glossy, heavyweight paper with a
distinctive binder. Generally, a strong binder that stands up well under heavy handling is
most suitable for EISs. Unless the document is very thin, a spiral binder is likely to snap
or bend open with continued handling; similarly, stapled documents are likely to tear.
Multi-volume documents are difficult to keep together unless a box is provided.
The use of maps, graphs, photo-montages, diagrams and other forms of visual
communication can greatly help the EIS presentation. As we noted in Chapter 4, a
location map, a site layout of the project and a process diagram are virtually essential to a
proper description of the development. Maps showing, for example, the extent of visual
impacts, the location of designated areas or classes of agricultural land are a succinct and
clear way of presenting such information. Graphs are often much more effective than
tables or figures in conveying numerical information. Forms of visual communication
break up the page, and add interest to an EIS. Increasingly some developers are also
producing the EIS as a CD.