User:Annehardon

What is Environmental Assessment

The central goal of environmental assessment is to ensure that environmental, and where required, social and economic information is incorporated in sound and well-balanced decision making.

The process involves:

• analyzing the likely effects and impact of the decisions
• organising public participation
• developing and comparing alternatives
• recording the impact, alternatives and comments from the public in a report
• taking the report into account when making the final decision
• informing the public about that decision

Important aspects concerning the process are:

• the quality of information. Can the information on likely effects be trusted?
• the transparency of the process. For example is it known who will be taking the decisions and when?
• stakeholder participation. Is the public indeed consulted? And are they informed in time on the plans and the process?

Environmental assessment can be undertaken on two levels: For individual projects such as a dam, motorway, airport or factory and then is called Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). At moments strategic choices/ decisions have to be made for plans, programmes and policies (e.g. urban, provincial or national spatial plans) and then is called Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).