Decision Making for Sustainable Use and Development - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 353

Regulations also list SIA impact factors to be considered and categorize
them into economic and social impact categories.
Information on the area or region of interest must also be gathered.
Data on the location, land and infrastructure requirement, project design
and work power requirement, and the aim and scope of the project are
essential to thorough impact evaluation.

2. Description of existing socio-economic conditions (baseline conditions)

Information on existing industry, housing, infrastructure, socio-demo-
graphics, culture, economics, employment, and workforce is necessary. 66
The existing local authority and political conditions should also be noted.
The use of certain indicators or indices has been developed to help cate-
gorize and evaluate such factors. Canter 64 has developed indicators to
define the existing socio-economic structure including life quality indices.
The Asian Bank has developed the Human Improvement Index, which
should also be included in an SIA and the UNEP-World Bank's Sympo-
sium on Environmental Accounting for Sustainable Development
addresses important aspects to include in assessments. 67

3. Impact prediction (projection of estimated effects)

Prediction of impacts can be estimated by the use of predictive tools such
as models. Listing and matrices are other methods to anticipate impacts.
Trend analysis, similarity comparison, and scenario development are also
tools to consider when attempting to predict the potential impacts of a project.

4. Assessment of socio-economic impact significance (predicting response

to impacts)
Several different methods have been used to assess impacts to an area.
The Delphi method, rating scaling method, and the nominal group process
have all been used. However, it is generally accepted that certain socio-
economic factors are not adequately expressed in quantitative terms. There-
fore, it is recommended that a qualitative assessment also be used to provide
decision makers flexibility and a broader scope to the consequences of
their choices.

8.4.7 P OLICY T RANSFORMATION AND I MPLEMENTATION

A wide assortment of policy implementation tools is available to those involved in
the planning process and to decision makers. One of the most commonly used and
effective tools to manage the growth and development of land areas is land use
planning. It establishes and maintains the critical link between science, public policy,
and regulation. Although directed by guidelines from a broader regional or federal
level, it usually is implemented at the local level, thereby involving the community.
Land use planning should be incorporated into the overall ILSMP and adopt its goals
and objectives to drive the daily implementation of its own local processes. Each
locality's municipal or land planning program offers the mechanism to implement
the ILSMP at the local level. It is an existing process that the community has available