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).