Environmental impact assessment eia is a tool to aid environmental decision making. Public participation in environmental decisionmaking an overview. Informing one way flow of information from the proponent to the public 6. Enabling process the process for public participation seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially affected by or interested in a decision. The next sections explore some of the grey clouds on the horizon for public participation in the uk. The eia process begins from the very start of a project. Stakeholder engagement plan krumovgrad gold project bulgaria december 2014 glossary i gl o s s ar y consultation. The role of public participation in environmental impact. Kakonge undp resident representative, po box 301, maseru, 100, lesotho pages 309320. Rail and public transit drpt meetings and through other means outlined in this document, you can help change transportation in virginia for the better. May 07, 2019 environmental impact assessment eia development projects in the past were undertaken without any consideration to their environmental consequences. In view of the colossal damage to the environment, governments and public are now concerned about the environmental impacts of developmental activities. Public participation a bestfit definition for the south african legislative sector. Good practice recommendations on public participation in.
The role of public participation in environmental impact assessment. May 24, 2015 public participation in decision making is an essential part of the environmental impact assessment eia process, which has become a widely applicable tool for environmental decision making in the world since 7075ies, ensuring consideration of environmental concerns within the planning. Although some form of public participation is often required by law, agencies usually have broad discretion about the extent of that involvement. Environmental impact assessment eia is the formal process used to predict the environmental consequences positive or negati ve of a plan, policy, program, or project prior to the decision to. The eia process for major prqjects lacks adequate provision for informing the public.
Public participation can be understood as a legitimating strategy by the state, to create an image of full participation through, e. Yet a closer look at the literature unveils that, beyond this general assertion, opinions of the precise meaning, objectives and adequate representation of public participation in eia considerably diverge. Template to use for developing public participation plans. In most countries, developing countries included, there are laws to facilitate public involvement and expert consultation in the eia process. In some cases, such as smallscale irrigation schemes, the transition from identification through to detailed design may be rapid and some steps in the eia procedure may be omitted. Glucker and others published public participation in environmental.
The process of gathering information or advice from stakeholders and taking these views into account when making project decisions andor setting targets and defining strategies. Public participation in eia will surely prove to be important for assessment of. We would caution, however, that the rigid implementation of any single element, to the exclusion of all others, is unlikely to result in a satisfactory or successful public participation process. Public involvement in environmental impact assessment. If the eia process is successful, it identifies alternatives and mitigation measures to reduce the environmental impact of a proposed project.
Timely, well planned and appropriately implemented public involvement programmes will contribute to eia studies and to the successful design, implementation, operation and management of proposals. Feedback the public participation process communicates to. Public involvement in action here is an example of citizen participation that helped guide transportation plans to suit the individuality of a region. This section very briefly presents an overview of the stages of eia to help place them in the context of the whole process. Public participation is the process by which parliament and provincial legislatures consult with the people and interested or affected individuals, organisations and government entities before making a decision. The range of stakeholders involved in an eia typically includes the local people, the proponent, government agencies, ngos and academics, etc.
To consult people likely to be affected by proposal. The two instruments detail procedures to enable the public to be informed. For example, the classification of documents as confidential can prevent public dissemination and in the absence of transparency openness, it is difficult for effective public participation to be achieved. Good examples of eia and sea regulation and practice in five. Guidelines for scoping and the eia process exist in several countries. Public information, public input, public involvement and public collaboration. Some eia laws require that the public have access to background information or.
Key principles of environmental impact assessment and. Each of these levels serves a different purpose with a different outcome. Sustainability appraisal looking for good sa identifies and evaluates the economic, social and environmental implications of an action the three dimensions of sustainable development proactive generally applied to plans and policies also often applied to projects influences the planpolicy preparation process builds on eia which has. Public involvement typically occurs at these points. Public participation in environmental assessment and decision making. Eia process resources screening scoping prediction and mitigation management and monitoring auditing public participation managing uncertainty techniques final report environmental impact statement the eia process makes sure that environmental issues are raised when a project or plan is first discussed and that all concerns are addressed as a project gains momentum through to. Laws and regulations in many countries regularly require public meetings and comment on government actions. There was an overall impression that the eia process was hastened at the cost of public participation.
Conducting meaningful public participation involves seeking public input at the specific points in the decision process and on the specific issues where such input has a real potential to help shape the decision or action. Eia should, through public participation pp processes, allow citizens to take part in decision making when implementing hps abaza et al. Appendix 11 environmental impact assessment parameters to be. The aim of this is to determine the best practicable course of action. Some require even more extensive forms of public engagement and input. Aug 15, 2010 the public involvement takes three forms. Public participation in decision making is an essential part of the environmental impact assessment eia process, which has become a widely applicable tool for environmental decision making in the world since 7075ies, ensuring consideration of environmental concerns within the planning. The implementation of the environmental impact assessment. Introduction to the public participation toolkit there is a great deal of public participation being implemented throughout the world today.
Information from this process contributes to effective future eia redesign resubmit public involvement public involvement typically occurs at these points. Opportunities to fully engage with the community, learn of their concerns and develop meaningful eistor, were missed. Even a cursory glance at recent writing on eia and related decision making processes shows that the issue of public participation in eia is a major focus for scholars and practitioners chavez and bernal, 2008, cooper and elliott, 2000, del furia and wallacejones, 2000 devlin and yap, 2008. Federal agencies have taken steps to include the public in a wide range of environmental decisions.
A study of sorang hydroelectric power project in district kinnaur, himachal pradesh, india article pdf available january 2015 with 223 reads. Involvement of the public is one of the fundamental principles of a successful eia process. The general objectives of involving the public at different stages in the eia process were considered by a recent european commission research project ec, 1999 as given in the table. Pdf public involvement in environmental impact assessment. Hence, decisionmakers in ethiopia are expected to use eia to consider the impacts of their actions on the environment. Without significant public participation, citizens may feel manipulated and suspicious, which undermines an effective dialogue and can create distrust. For example when kcca was going to reha bilitate kabaka anjagala road in kampala. Pdf public participation in eia mugalu simon academia. Public participation in indonesian eia sudharto p hadi introduction public participation is a process of involving the public in a programme, project or policy. Experience indicates that public involvement in the eia process can and does meet these aims and objectives. The environmental impact assessment consisted of a technical and a public participation process. Public participation is necessary for minimizing or avoiding public controversy, confrontation and delay, and can make a positive contribution to the eia process. Many benefits ar e concrete such as improvements to project design see box 1. Good examples of eia and sea regulation and practice in.
Good examples of eia and sea regulation and practice in five european union countries the report was funded by. However, there are marked differences in specific requirements. Public involvement is a feature of nearly all eia systems. Vision the public service commission is an independent and impartial body created by the constitution, 1996, to enhance excellence in governance within the public service. Environmental impact assessments in developing countries. Timely, well planned and appropriately implemented public involvement programmes will impact of large coastal mediterranean cities on marine ecosystems alexandria, egypt 1012 february 2009 87. The eia process also serves an important procedural role in the overall decisionmaking process by promoting transparency and public involvement. Application of the protocol on strategic environmental assessment resource manual. Public participation in governance involves the direct or indirect involvement. Guarantees for effective and timely public participation 10 2.
Pdf public participation in environmental impact assessment is recognised as key. It may also occur at any other stage of the eia process. Public involvement in the eia process encourages ratification of any. In this paper, i have examined whether the system of eia in ethiopia is adequate both in law and in practice. Information public participation provides participants with the information that they need to participate in a meaningful way. Initial environmental impact assessment about 50,000 annually environmental impact assessment about 5600 annually eas 7 categorical exclusionscategorical exclusions nepa affects private parties only when there is a federal handle on a ppp p groposed private action e. Public participation and environmental impact assessment.
Benefits of stakeholder involvement in eia there is a growing consensus that timely and broadbased stakeholder involvement is a vital ingredient for effective environmental assessment, as it is for project planning, appraisal and development in general. The following points highlight the ten main stages of environmental impact assessment. Meaningful public participation in the impact assessment of trade policy and international trade agreements will legitimize the trade process. However, to transform public participation of eia in china from rhetoric into reality is challenging to all parties involved in eia. Public participation in environmental impact assessment of. The public involvement of stakeholders in eia is widely recognized as a fundamental element of the process. Full public involvement, open to all affected and interested parties, provides the best means of ensuring the eia process is fair and credible.
This eia, however, only assessed a 5km radius area of the core site and thus did not include the majority of the site included in this eia process. Public participation framework for the south african. The inclusion of public participation in such processes is considered as a requirement. Public participation in eia is commonly deemed to foster democratic policymaking and to render eia more effective. Citescore values are based on citation counts in a given year e. It may also occur at any other stage of the eia process mitigation redesign planning for impact management monitoring impact management scoping reporting decisionmaking identification of need redesign resubmit information from this process contributes to effective future eia public. For example, if citizens livelihoods are reliant on the. The public participation spectrum below illustrates the four levels of public participation. Environmental impact assessment and stakeholder involvement by ross huges box 1. To consider and comment on eia report to monitor the implementation of eia reports recommendations and decisions conditions. In cases such as these, since there is no prescribed time frame, it is left up to the discretion of the applicant and competent authority to decide when such preapplication pp may.
Public involvement virginia department of transportation. The fulcrum for this power struggle is the environmental impact assessment eia process. It is a process that allows for public involvement when positive and negative impacts opportunities and constraints that are associated with a proposed course of action are assessed. Even a cursory glance at the literature on environmental impact assessment eia reveals that public participation is being considered as an integral part of the assessment procedure. Pdf public participation in environmental impact assessment for. Effective eia is achieved through the adoption of the following key principles proponent bears cost of application and assessment public participation at all stages of the process access to proponent information by civil society and government transparent process best available scientific information. Public involvement this is a cornerstone of eia and most systems include provision for public involvement. Permits, licenses, grants, loans, use of federal land or resources. In producing reasons for more public participation in the eia process. The technical process included the two phases of the environmental impact assessment, namely the. Figure 1 shows a general flow diagram of the eia process, how it fits in with parallel technical and economic studies and the role of public participation. Diduck and mitchell, 2003, doelle and sinclair, 2006, hartley and wood, 2005, kapoor. Template for developing guidelines on public participation.
A description of the project a list of the agencies or ministries responsible for overseeing the eia process and making decisions the geographic area to be studied also called the impact zone. Stages of environmental impact assessment environment. Other benefits are intangible and incidental and flow from taking part in the process. Article 5 of the eia law states the general principle in encouraging participation of relevant parties, experts and the public in the eia process appropriately. There is likely to be at least one designated public place where an eia will be made available. Public participation in environmental impact assessment. Rod is a public documentis a public document i e be available fori.
Challenge of public participation in chinas eia practice. Public participation practise public participation and. Public participation can be achieved through several techniques. General provisions on the arrangement of public involvement in the process of projecteia are stipulated in the laws concerned. For example, it is not indicated whether if it would be acceptable for a person to conduct public participation 3 years prior to the submission of an application. Introduction to public participation in strategic environmental assessment. It will ensure that stakeholders are more committed in future to become involved in the departments public participation processes. Pp process, specifically as it is linked to eia procedures. Pdf public participation in environmental impact assessment. Public involvement is a fundamental principle of the eia process. It not only provides an opportunity to those directly affected by a project to express their views on the environmental and social impacts of.
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