Introduction and principles - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 4

Note: EIA should be a cyclical process
with considerable interaction between
the various steps. For example, public
participation can be useful at most
stages of the process; monitoring
systems should relate to parameters
established in the initial project and
baseline descriptions.
These are briefly described below, pending a much fuller discussion in Chapters 4-7. It
should be noted at this stage that, although the steps are outlined in a linear fashion, EIA
should be a cyclical activity, with feedback and interaction between the various steps. It
should also be noted that practice can and does vary considerably from the process
illustrated in Figure 1.1. For example, until recently UK EIA legislation did not require
some of the steps, including the consideration of alternatives, and still does not require
post-decision monitoring (DETR 2000). The order of the steps in the process may also
vary.
• Project screening narrows the application of EIA to those projects that may have
significant environmental impacts. Screening may be partly determined by the EIA
regulations operating in a country at the time of assessment.
• Scoping seeks to identify at an early stage, from all of a project's possible impacts and
from all the alternatives that could be addressed, those that are the crucial, significant
issues.
• The consideration of alternatives seeks to ensure that the proponent has considered
other feasible approaches, including alternative project locations, scales, processes,
layouts, operating conditions and the “no action” option.
• The description of the project/development action includes a clarification of the purpose
and rationale of the project, and an understanding of its various characteristics—
including stages of development, location and processes.
• The description of the environmental baseline includes the establishment of both the
present and future state of the environment, in the absence of the project, taking into
account changes resulting from natural events and from other human activities.
• The identification of the main impacts brings together the previous steps with the aim of
ensuring that all potentially significant environmental impacts (adverse and beneficial)
are identified and taken into account in the process.
• The prediction of impacts aims to identify the magnitude and other dimensions of
identified change in the environment with a project/action, by comparison with the
situation without that project/action.
• The evaluation and assessment of significance assesses the relative significance of the
predicted impacts to allow a focus on the main adverse impacts.
• Mitigation involves the introduction of measures to avoid, reduce, remedy or
compensate for any significant adverse impacts.