Environmental Impact Assessment - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 88

In the event that a full environmental impact assessment is required, there are some key
points to remember (Pallen 1997):
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Keep environmental assessment in perspective. Recognize it as a tool to enhance the
decision-making process, not the decision-making process itself.

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Keep the assessment simple and concentrate on pertinent factors and data. It should be
rigorous but not necessarily laborious.

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Focus time and effort on the most relevant matters.

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Invest neither too much nor too little time on an assessment. Stay l exible throughout
the assessment in order to meet new challenges as they arise.

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Tailor each assessment to the particular project needs. Each project has a unique set of
environmental, economic, and social characteristics.

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Be inventive. There is no standard format available for interpreting the information
gathered during an environmental assessment.

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Be prepared for inexact and suggestive data. Typically data is imperfect, and assump-
tions open to challenge. Quantii cation may be difi cult (and in some circumstances,
impossible). Exposing the limits and inadequacies of knowledge, data, and interpreta-
tion can help stimulate improvements in the understanding of environmental issues and
accelerate the provision of reliable information to support informed decision-making.

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Avoid secrecy. Open communication among all stakeholders throughout the assess-
ment process not only produces better results, but also increases the project's credibility
and builds trust and acceptance within the wider community.

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Seek external help and advice in situations that require more expertise than is available
in the project management and environmental assessment teams.

2.6 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STEP-BY-STEP

An EIA is generally conducted step-by-step. The tiered system can have variants in differ-
ent countries. The EIA team typically complements the regulatory tiered system with its
own step-by-step methodology. Usually, environmental impact assessment evolves along
the following lines (see also Table 2.3 ) : (1) screening as discussed in the previous section; (2)
scoping; (3) assessment of project and project alternatives; (4) public disclosure, consulta-
tion and participation; (5) establishing the institutional setting; (6) establishing the environ-
mental baseline; (7) identifying and quantifying impacts; and (8) designing environmental
management and monitoring measures.
Much information is needed during the EIA process, and much information is
generated. A disciplined collection and organization of data is helpful. An example of data
needs and data organization is presented in Appendix 2.1 .

Scoping

Screening is carried out to determine whether an environmental impact assessment is nec-
essary. Scoping aims to dei ne the focus. More specii cally, scoping allows one to
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Scoping aims to defi ne the focus.

Specify what issues and impacts the EIA study shall focus on;

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Specify regulatory design criteria in form of applicable standards;

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Specify methods that should be used in impact identii cation and quantii cation;

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Identify stakeholders and their need for information and participation; and

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Dei ne the study boundaries in time and space.