Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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Resource requirements and constraints including (1) stafi ng resources, other expertise
and i nancial support likely to be required/available for undertaking the assessment;
(2) the extent of information needs and what is readily available; and (3) time con-
straints within which the assessment must be completed.
The information in the i rst three categories can be used to form a i rst impression of
the likely nature, duration, scope, level of detail, and complexity of the environmental
assessment. The information provided in the fourth category should indicate the types and
scale of resources likely to be available to complete the assessment, and whether additional
resources may be required.
Inputs to Scoping
Two inputs into scoping are important. First, there is the need to understand the mine
activities which are likely to take place, and their likely impacts. Scoping provides an
initial indication of activities that are likely to generate signii cant impacts during various
stages through mine development and operation. Second, there is the need to understand
the nature of the environment in which the mine is located. Scoping initiates the proc-
ess of compiling relevant environment information required to assess the potential impacts
of various project activities on various environmental components. Scoping can help to
identify 'hot' issues.
Information on a specii c project area is available from a myriad of sources. Some of the
common sources of information include government agencies (to collect information on
geology, topography, meteorology, land use planning, administrative boundaries, popula-
tion census, protected areas and species, heritage sites, and so on), the internet, environ-
mental and scientii c NGOs such as BirdLife, WWF, or The Nature Conservancy (TNC),
and environmental documents prepared for nearby projects. Areas of particular ecological
interest have usually been studied, to some extent, by academic researchers, although in
many cases these studies are focussed on a narrow biological feature rather than a broad
ecological assessment. Perhaps because of the large number of bird watchers worldwide,
information on the distribution, habitat requirements, behaviour, and conservation status
of birds is readily available for most parts of the world.
The internet in particular has developed into a source of information at a scale never
experienced before the advent of the web. No listing can do justice to the vast amount of
information sources at the internet, but some useful links follow:
●
Satellite imagery - Google Earth (
www.googleearth.com
)
nasa.gov/srtm
)
●
International conventions and treaties - Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators
(ENTRI) (
www.sedac.ciesin.org
)
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NGO - NGO Global Network (
www.ngo.org
)
●
Mining - International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) (
www.icmm.com
)
●
Environmental assessment - International Association For Impact Assessment (IAIA)
(
www.iaia.org
)
●
Libraries
●
Areas of particular ecological
interest have usually been
studied, to some extent, by
academic researchers.
International Institutions - World Bank (
www.worldbank.org
)
Google Earth in particular has revolutionized the way we view the Earth. Any place on
Earth is only a few clicks away, and no mine site should be studied without an initial free
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