Trends in consultation and public participation within environmental impact assessment in Kenya

The objective of this study was to document trends in public participation within environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Kenya, using a Consultation and Public Participation Index (CPPI) developed for the analysis of EIA Study Reports submitted to the Environment Authority between 2002 and 2010. Results indicated that public participation remained relatively low, with the highest score of 1.65 in 2010, out of a possible score of 5. Scores for individual dimensions within the index fluctuated during the study period, with participation methods and type of participants scoring the highest, following increased emphasis by the Environment Authority on the conducting and reporting of public participation. This was followed by venue, notification and language used, in that order, which were often not reported, and, when reported, choices per dimension were limited. This is the first time this index has been used, yet it serves as a good starting point to evaluate public participation within EIA.     

Access to information and the role of environmental assessment registries for public participation

International practice shows an increasing use of web-based Environmental Assessment (EA) registries or project websites to provide public access to information. In support of statutory public participation, registries inform when to participate and provide relevant documents and the continued availability of information. However, what constitutes good practice in this field? This article proposes a framework for assessing good practice in providing access to information via registries. Based on performance indicators for an ‘ideal’ registry, the framework allows evaluation in the review categories: framework conditions, notice of projects, provision of documents, accessibility of information and ongoing information regarding the status of the environmental assessment. An explorative case study analysis applies the framework and presents results on the performance of international practice examples.     

Evaluation of the environmental impact assessment system in Egypt

A formal environmental impact assessment (EIA) system was introduced in Egypt through Environmental Protection Law No. 4 of 1994. This paper evaluates the EIA system in Egypt by using both ‘systemic’ and ‘foundation’ evaluation criteria. The methodology is based on an investigation of EIA legislation, a review of guidelines and relevant documents, and interviews with EIA practitioners. The main factors affecting EIA best practice in Egypt are the limited numbers of local experts, inadequate public consultation, lack of environmental data, weak follow-up, and the absence of long- term land-use plans. Recommendations to strengthen the system include improving capacity building, implementing an effective EIA consultants' accreditation system, ensuring effective public participation and access to EIA reports, applying systematic environmental impact statement (EIS) review criteria and promoting environmental awareness.     

The doing and un-doing of public participation during environmental impact assessments in Kenya

Mechanisms that restrict public participation during environmental decision-making in Kenya still exist almost a decade after the inception of the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act (EMCA) of 1999. This paper analyses the current situation concerning public participation during environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA). It presents the barriers that may impede effective public participation in environmental decision-making in Kenya and draws attention to possible solutions, including the potential of SEA as a bridge to better public participation.     

Books

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) system in Uzbekistan was inherited from the USSR and is centred on state environmental review, a procedure for reviewing the impacts of proposed activities by environmental authorities. This is proving to be a less effective tool of environmental protection in the new political and economic conditions. Since the collapse of the USSR, the Uzbekistani EIA system has undergone gradual reform but the national EIA system remains almost identical to the ‘socialist’ system. At the same time, some elements are similar to those of EIA systems used in developed countries. The shortcomings of the system include unclear screening provisions and lack of public participation. The paper analyses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the development of EIA in Uzbekistan, taking into account various political and economic factors.     

Improving access to biodiversity data for,and from,EIAs – a data publishing framework built to global standards

Biodiversity information obtained during environmental impact assessments (EIAs) is rarely accessible for other uses following the completion of the EIA. Such data need to be made readily accessible; adding them to publicly accessible national datasets is important if biodiversity science, conservation and future decisions based on environmental assessment are to benefit from new biodiversity data and improved biodiversity data coverage. An ‘EIA Biodiversity Data Publishing Framework’, based on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) global standards, is thus proposed to meet this need. This paper outlines the GBIF-catalysed initiative to establish such an operational framework for uptake by the EIA community, as well as options that are available for data publishing in the absence of such a framework. It reviews the current state of accessibility and management of the primary biodiversity data associated with EIA studies, and highlights the urgent need for uptake of a range of data-publishing tools and best practices for making EIA biodiversity data exchangeable using globally accepted standards. Lessons learnt from pilot projects in India and South Africa underline the call for the rapid uptake of a national-to-global scale EIA Biodiversity Data Publishing Framework.     

Effectiveness of environmental offsets in environmental impact assessment: practitioner perspectives from Western Australia

Environmental offsets are positive mitigation measures implemented during environmental impact assessment (EIA) approvals to compensate for unavoidable negative environmental actions. Through interviews with 29 practitioners experienced with offsets, this study investigated the level of support for environmental offsets in Western Australia, implementation of the mitigation sequence and achievement of ‘net environmental gain’ and ‘like for like’ in practice. In-principle support for the use of offsets was almost unanimous. However, the practical workability of ‘like for like’ was questioned along with claims that offsets failed to deliver net benefits. Greater guidance and follow-up will be necessary if practice is to live up to expectation.     

A PC based system for managing technical information and data

A lot of technical information/data is generated daily at a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). More often than not this information is scattered over different forms, data sheets and reports. As such, accessibility as well as useability is limited. In order to make this information useable and beneficial to plant safety and availability, PC based software was developed in-house. This paper describes the software and its benefits that have been seen.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness and quality of environmental impact assessment in the Federal Republic of Germany

This study uses empirical research of 145 projects on environmental impact assessment (EIA). The researchers generated and tested hypotheses based on questions about the effectiveness and quality of EIA. By means of EIA, aspects of proactive thinking have entered into procedural decisions more than previously presumed and modifications in the spatial dimensions of projects have played an especially prominent role. The three most important factors affecting the scale of general project modifications are: the degree to which the subject matter and methodological aspects of a study are prescribed by §5 of the EIA Act (Scoping); the early, intense involvement of authorities, experts, and third parties in the scoping; and the degree to which the project's effects and impacts are analyzed and forecast in the environmental impact study (EIS). EIA and EIS practice has moved beyond the ‘experimental phase’ and routines have now emerged for certain parts of the procedure.     

Carbon definitions and typologies in environmental impact assessment: greenhouse gas confusion?

Estimation of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) is becoming an established part of assessing sustainability within environmental impact assessment (EIA). However, a comparative study of 25 environmental impact statements (EISs) to analyse the practice of accounting for emissions during the EIA process suggests that consideration of the effects of development on emissions of GHG is poorly understood. The extent to which assessment is actually carried out is also inconsistent and sporadically implemented. A key indicator appears to be the varying and sometimes contradictory use of technical terminology, particularly of the term ‘carbon’ and its similar phraseology. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the differing terminology that is applied to GHG assessments undertaken as part of EIA process and explores the effect that misuse of these terms could have on an impact EIS.     

Socio-economic and political barriers to public participation in EIA: implications for sustainable development in the Maldives

Abstract

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a policy process that can lead to more sustainable development by preventing or mitigating the negative impacts of development projects. Public participation in the EIA process, especially one based on the ideals of deliberative democracy, is essential to deliver on the goal of sustainable development that is arguably the primary objective of EIA. This article specifically focuses on a study of public participation in the EIA process of the Maldives. Using a qualitative research design involving an analysis of documents and interviews, it investigates four aspects of a deliberative participatory process: fairness, competence, willingness and capacity. The analysis suggests that the process for public participation in the Maldives cannot be characterized as fully fair or competent. It further identifies several socio-economic barriers that affect the capacity and willingness of the actors to participate including political influence, lack of human and financial capacity, gender gap, loss of community spirit and lack of environmental and procedural awareness.     

Use of environmental impact assessment in addressing chronic environmentally damaging agricultural and rural development practices: examples from Kenya and Cambodia

To support sustainable agricultural and rural development in Kenya and Cambodia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conducted training with an emphasis on field situations and case studies. Participants were required to bring their most pressing environmental problems to the courses in the form of a case study. The majority of problems were chronic environmentally damaging agricultural and rural development practices. Participants examined cause/effect relationships, mitigation options, and action plans. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) format was used for reporting and presentation. This application of EIA resulted in substantial improvement in the understanding of each case and in identifying solutions. This unanticipated use of EIA was a powerful tool for the analysis of ongoing activities.     

立体童书中的形态设计研究

目的基于儿童的阅读体验,探究立体书的形态语言、多元化的结构形式、图文的空间表现。方法通过分析立体童书的翻拉式、弹跳式、多重感官体验式三种空间构造形式,研究形态语言的结构形式和空间表现方法。结论基于立体书的多维度的构造形式研究,明确了儿童书籍“可动、互动、可玩”的特点。在翻拉式书籍的版面设计中,运用信息隐藏法使单向阅读变为交互阅读;在造型类书籍的版面设计中,运用弹跳式书籍设计呈现立体装置空间;在感官书籍的版式设计中,综合运用“视、听、触、味”的设计形式,达到多重感官参与体验的愉悦感,从而突出立体语言在儿童书籍中的视觉体验和阅读过程中的直观性与趣味性。在儿童书籍设计中结合“自由式”文本、“运动式”图像设计实现立体的空间表现。     

Comparative analysis of public participation in the EIA process for Thai overseas investment projects: Krabi coal terminal,Hongsa coal power plant,and Dawei special economic zone

While Thai overseas investment projects (TOIPs) have become a key form of development in the region, their environmental impact assessment (EIA) quality has been criticized. This research sought to analyze the differences in EIA practices in terms of public participation (PP) in two TOIPs – the Hongsa coal-fired power plant (Lao PDR) and the Dawei special economic zone (Myanmar) – versus a national-level project, the Krabi coal terminal. For Laos and Myanmar, which did not previously require PP, the Thai consultants did not apply the Thai PP framework, leading to poor public participation index (PPI) scores = 0.02, indicating a negligible PP process. However, the consultant on the Krabi coal terminal claimed to abide by the Thai regulations, yet the PPI scores claimed = 0.81 (substantive rationale), were quite different from those indicated by the affected villagers = 0.39 (instrumental rationale). These villagers’ concerns resulted in conflict between the affected villagers and project owners. Our findings have revealed the true necessity of PP regulation and systems to monitor consultant performance to ensure sustainability of TOIPs in neighboring countries.     

Public participation in EIA and attitude formation

Although public participation in EIAs aims for public acceptance, it does not guarantee the project (of which the EIA is part) is accepted. Moreover, when citizens participate in EIAs, they develop attitudes towards the project itself, and towards the broader policy. This paper addresses the complex relationship between participating in EIA studies and accepting policies. We first discuss what attitudes can develop towards a project, and how they may influence the perception of the broader policy sector and the attitude towards policy processes. We distinguish four attitudes and show they are present in a dike-relocation case in the Netherlands. We further show that different experiences in the EIA led to different project evaluations and this impacted stakeholders' attitudes to participation, projects and policy-making. We found four aspects of the EIA process of this project that partly explain the arisen difference in project attitudes. These aspects are important to consider in the design and management of participative EIAs.     

Environmental impact assessment process substitution: experiences of public participants

This paper explores policy action taken by the federal government in Canada to test the potential for substitution of the federal process to regulatory bodies as a means of encouraging environmental impact assessment (EIA) efficiency. Our purpose is to present the experiences of people who participated in the EIA of the Emera Brunswick Pipeline in order to gauge the impact of such process substitutions on meaningful public participation. Our approach included document reviews and a focus group session with some of the public participants in the Emera Pipeline hearings. We find that the National Energy Board hearing process substituted in the case did not meet many of the key requirements of meaningful participation and left some public participants feeling disrespected and marginalized.     

Lifeguards in the sky: Examining the public acceptance of beach-rescue drones

The use of rescue drones is expected to increase in forthcoming years. However, the success of their implementation through different applications will depend on public acceptance. Studies to date have analyzed public support for the use of drones with various applications, although public acceptance of drones in specific contexts remains to be explored. In particular, the use of drones for beach rescues has proven beneficial in reducing response times, thus helping to save lives. In this study, we analyze the public acceptance of lifesaving drones and their associated variables. Data collected from a survey of beach users (N = 3363) for this study are used to measure public acceptance of rescue drones. We found that public acceptance of rescue drones is moderate, with approximately half of all participants accepting their use. In terms of influencing variables, we found that the factors most associated with their use are ‘perceived benefits’ and ‘perceived risks’. We also found that the participants from beaches without lifeguard services were more likely to accept the use of rescue drones. These results initiated a discussion on the variables that are associated with the public acceptance in the specific context of lifesaving. In addition, based on the results of this study, we propose implementation plans for rescue drones that might also include public information campaigns on their benefits for beach users.     

Public participation in EIA: the case of West African Gas Pipeline and Tank Farm projects in Nigeria

This paper assesses the extent to which public participation has been fully translated into practice the case of West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) and Tank Farm (TF) projects in Nigeria. The empirical basis for this paper is constituted by published environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the WAGP and TF projects. In addition to this, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to corroborate whether provisions of public participation as documented in WAGP and TF projects' EIA report have been fully translated into practice. The lack of compliance noticed with TF project was not surprising as such, being an indigenous oil company, but our expectation is that WAGP project, which is not just a multinational project alone but also sponsored by the World Bank, should comprehensively serve as a yardstick for other projects in Nigeria, although the reverse is the case. The findings further show that institutional problems have prevented public participation from being translated into practice. These institutional problems arise from deep-seated economic and social factors.