Structure of these eia learning materials in this

Structure of these EIA learning materials
In this module, the EIA process is discussed in 11 Sections. Following this
introductory section, Background (Section 1), are the following 10 Sections
in order, with a brief description of the purpose of each stage in the EIA
process:

Law, Policy and Institutional Arrangements (Section 2): To provide
regulatory and legislative governance structures and requirements of
EIA processes for project proponents, EIA practitioners and
stakeholders.

Public involvement (Section 3): To inform the public about the
proposal and to gain the inputs of those directly affected by or
interested in the proposal. Public involvement in some form may occur
throughout the EIA process, although it tends to be focused on
scoping and review phases of EIA.


Screening (Section 4): To decide whether or not a proposal should be
subject to the EIA process and, if so, at what level of detail.

Scoping (Section 5): To identify the key issues and impacts that are
likely to require further investigation, and to prepare the terms of
reference for the EIA study.

Impact analysis (Section 6): To identify and predict the likely
environmental and social effects of the proposal and evaluate their
significance.

Mitigation and impact management (Section 7): To develop measures
to avoid, reduce or compensate for impacts, making good any
environmental damage.

Reporting (Section 8 ): To describe the results of the EIA for decision-
makers and other interested parties.

Review of EIA quality (Section 9): To examine the adequacy of the EIA
report to see if it meets the terms of reference and provides the
information necessary for decision-making.

Decision-making (Section 10): To approve or reject the proposal and
set the terms and conditions under which it can proceed. The
decision-maker also has the option to defer approval (e.g. until certain
conditions are met or to require a proponent to redesign the project
so that the environmental effects are minimised).

Implementation and follow up (Section 11): To check on the
implementation of the terms and conditions of approval during the
construction and operation phases; to monitor the impacts of the
project and the effectiveness of mitigation measures; to take any
actions necessary to ameliorate problems; and, as required, to
undertake audit and evaluation to strengthen future EIA applications.
In this module you will be looking only at EIA. However, it is important to
recognise that there is a general principle of assessment that applies to EIA,
and to other assessment processes. There are several other processes that
relate closely to the review of environmental impacts that may result from a
proposed project. The following are well recognised processes:

Social Impact Assessment

Risk Assessment

Life Cycle Analysis

Energy Analysis


Health Impact Assessment

Regulatory Impact Assessment

Species Impact Assessment

Technology Assessment

Economic Assessment

Cumulative Impact Assessment

Strategic Environmental Assessment

Integrated Impact Assessment
Some, like Energy Analysis, focus on a particular part of the environment.