DVA 2601
PORTFOLIO
Evaluate whether Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are a suitable
appraisal technique to ensure sustainable community-based developing
projects.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool to aid environmental decision
making. It is a process that allows for public involvement when positive and negative
impacts (opportunities and constraints) that are associated with the proposed course
of action are assessed. The aim is to determine the best practicable course of action.
An EIA process is systematic, holistic and multi-disciplinary. Its major benefits is
advice on improved project design that lowers the costs of loss of valuable natural
resources and financial penalties for remediation and compensation as a result of
damage to the environment and human health and safety.
An EIA is a suitable appraisal technique to ensure sustainability of community-based
developing projects because it is a formal process to predict the environment
consequences (negative and/positive) of a plan, policy, program, or project prior to
the implementation decision (Area, 2016). EIA proposes measures to adjust impacts
to acceptable levels or to investigate new technological solutions/alternatives that
may reduce impacts or eliminate them altogether, as well as measures to monitor
and manage impacts. The EIA process aims to protect the environment from human
activity by providing sound basis for effective and sustainable development, through
the identification, description, prediction, assessment, evaluation and mitigation of
direct and indirect impacts of a project on the environment, including socio-economic
and cultural factors such as ( human health, fauna and flora, soil, water, air, climate
and the landscape), to inform decision making to either grant or refuse
environmental authorisation.
EIAs are suitable appraisal techniques to ensure sustainability of community-based
developing projects because they are unique in that they do not require adherence to
predetermined environmental outcomes, but rather require decision makers to
account for environmental values in their decisions and to justify those decisions in
1
, light of detailed environmental studies and public comments on the potential
environmental impacts.
EIAs are suitable appraisal techniques to ensure sustainability of community-based
developing projects because they evaluates the potential impact of human actions,
for example, development proposals, on the receiving environment, and how the
opportunities and constraints in this environment influence the intended human
actions. EIA is a systematic and consultative process that gathers detailed
information on the social, economic and ecological consequences of a
developmental proposal (Daluwatte, 2019). The competent environmental authority
uses the information gathered during this EIA process to inform a decision on the
developmental proposal. The aim of this decision-making process is to maximise
socio-economic outcomes, while ensuring ecological integrity by avoiding and / or
mitigating potential negative biophysical impacts.
EIA is South Africa is therefore a means for giving effect to the “environment right
“enshrined in Section 24 of the Constitution, which calls for the securing of
ecologically sustainable development and the promotion of justifiable economic and
social development. It is, however, vital to remember that while one strives for the
best environmental option, there are limitations to what is in fact feasible and
practical I terms of time, cost and technology (Glasson, and Therivel, 2019). The aim
of EIA in South Africa, therefore, is to follow a process that will determine the best
practicable environmental option, that is, to promote sustainable development
through the effective management of social, environmental and economic impacts,
so that valuable environmental resources are safeguarded by avoiding unacceptable
negative irreversible changes through implementing acceptable mitigation measures,
human health and safety is protected, and the social and economic dimensions of
the proposed development are enhanced.
EIAs are suitable appraisal techniques to ensure sustainability of community-based
developing projects because they include cost saving and reduced time of project
implementation and adhering of legal regulations (Ivanova, D., Stadler, et al 2016).
EIAs are economically feasible because they take relatively minimal time compared
to other environmental assessment techniques which might not be precise and might
not be advantageous to the organisation. EIA is followed according to the methods
2
PORTFOLIO
Evaluate whether Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are a suitable
appraisal technique to ensure sustainable community-based developing
projects.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool to aid environmental decision
making. It is a process that allows for public involvement when positive and negative
impacts (opportunities and constraints) that are associated with the proposed course
of action are assessed. The aim is to determine the best practicable course of action.
An EIA process is systematic, holistic and multi-disciplinary. Its major benefits is
advice on improved project design that lowers the costs of loss of valuable natural
resources and financial penalties for remediation and compensation as a result of
damage to the environment and human health and safety.
An EIA is a suitable appraisal technique to ensure sustainability of community-based
developing projects because it is a formal process to predict the environment
consequences (negative and/positive) of a plan, policy, program, or project prior to
the implementation decision (Area, 2016). EIA proposes measures to adjust impacts
to acceptable levels or to investigate new technological solutions/alternatives that
may reduce impacts or eliminate them altogether, as well as measures to monitor
and manage impacts. The EIA process aims to protect the environment from human
activity by providing sound basis for effective and sustainable development, through
the identification, description, prediction, assessment, evaluation and mitigation of
direct and indirect impacts of a project on the environment, including socio-economic
and cultural factors such as ( human health, fauna and flora, soil, water, air, climate
and the landscape), to inform decision making to either grant or refuse
environmental authorisation.
EIAs are suitable appraisal techniques to ensure sustainability of community-based
developing projects because they are unique in that they do not require adherence to
predetermined environmental outcomes, but rather require decision makers to
account for environmental values in their decisions and to justify those decisions in
1
, light of detailed environmental studies and public comments on the potential
environmental impacts.
EIAs are suitable appraisal techniques to ensure sustainability of community-based
developing projects because they evaluates the potential impact of human actions,
for example, development proposals, on the receiving environment, and how the
opportunities and constraints in this environment influence the intended human
actions. EIA is a systematic and consultative process that gathers detailed
information on the social, economic and ecological consequences of a
developmental proposal (Daluwatte, 2019). The competent environmental authority
uses the information gathered during this EIA process to inform a decision on the
developmental proposal. The aim of this decision-making process is to maximise
socio-economic outcomes, while ensuring ecological integrity by avoiding and / or
mitigating potential negative biophysical impacts.
EIA is South Africa is therefore a means for giving effect to the “environment right
“enshrined in Section 24 of the Constitution, which calls for the securing of
ecologically sustainable development and the promotion of justifiable economic and
social development. It is, however, vital to remember that while one strives for the
best environmental option, there are limitations to what is in fact feasible and
practical I terms of time, cost and technology (Glasson, and Therivel, 2019). The aim
of EIA in South Africa, therefore, is to follow a process that will determine the best
practicable environmental option, that is, to promote sustainable development
through the effective management of social, environmental and economic impacts,
so that valuable environmental resources are safeguarded by avoiding unacceptable
negative irreversible changes through implementing acceptable mitigation measures,
human health and safety is protected, and the social and economic dimensions of
the proposed development are enhanced.
EIAs are suitable appraisal techniques to ensure sustainability of community-based
developing projects because they include cost saving and reduced time of project
implementation and adhering of legal regulations (Ivanova, D., Stadler, et al 2016).
EIAs are economically feasible because they take relatively minimal time compared
to other environmental assessment techniques which might not be precise and might
not be advantageous to the organisation. EIA is followed according to the methods
2
