PART ONE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES
1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Introduction
Defining Environmental Impact Assessment
- Environmental Change and Effects
EIA Theory and Objective
- EIA Output and Outcome Objectives
The Origins and Development of EIA
- EIA Origins
- EIA Development
International Status of EIA
- Canada
- Australia
- European Union
- China
- Developing Nations and Development Agencies
The Basic EIA Process
- Operating Principles
Opportunities for and Challenges to EIA
- Ensuring a Quality EIA Process
- Balancing Efficiency and Efficacy
- Improved EIA Governance
2. OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN CANADA
EIA in Canada
Canadian EIA Systems
- Provincial EIA
- Northern EIA
Development of Federal EIA
- EARP Origins
- Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
- Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012
- Major Changes under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012
- "Higher-Order" Assessment
- EIA Directions
3. TOOLS SUPPORTING EIA PRACTICE
The Practitioner's Toolkit
Tools for Impact Identification, Interpretation, Organization, and Communication
- Checklists
- Matrices
- Trends and Associations
- Spatial Analysis
Tools for Impact Prediction
- Analogue Approaches
- Judgment
- Systems Modelling
- Scenario Analysis
Tool Selection
PART TWO: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PRACTICE
4. SCREENING PROCEDURES
Screening
Screening Approaches
- Is an EIA Required?
- Hybrid Screening
Screening Requirements in Canada
- Requirements for EIA
- Determining Whether an EIA Is Required
- Type of EIA Required
General Guidance for Screening
- Screening and the Precautionary Principle
5. SCOPING AND ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ASSESSMENTS
Scoping
Scoping Requisites
- Identification of Project Alternatives
- Valued Ecosystem Components
- Establish Assessment Boundaries
- Conduct the Environmental Baseline Study
Scoping Continuation
6. PREDICTING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Impact Prediction
Predicting Impacts on the Biophysical Environment
- What to Predict
Predicting Impacts on the Human Environment
- What to Predict
Characterizing Predicted Impacts
- Order of Environmental Effects
- Nature of Environmental Effects and Impacts
- Temporal Characteristics of Effects and Impacts
- Magnitude, Direction
- Spatial Extent
- Reversibility and Irreversibility
- Likelihood of Effects and Impacts
Good Practice Requirements for Impact Prediction
- Accuracy and Precision
- Verifiable Impact Predictions
- Addressing Uncertainty
7. MANAGING PROJECT IMPACTS
Impact Management
Managing Adverse Impacts
- Avoidance
- Mitigation
- Remediation
- Compensation
Managing Positive Impacts
- Creating Benefits
- Enhancing Benefits
Measures That Support Impact Management
- Environmental Management Systems
- Environmental Protection Plans
- Adaptive Management Strategies
EIA and Impact Management in Canada
8. DETERMINING IMPACT SIGNIFICANCE
Impact Significance
Determining Significance
- Effect and Impact Characteristics
- Impact Importance
Approaches to Significance Determination
- Technical Approach
- Collaborative Approach
- Reasoned Argumentation
- Composite Approach
Toward a Higher Test for Impact Significance
- Guidance for Determining Significance
9. FOLLOW-UP AND MONITORING
Follow-up
- Follow-up Requirements
- Follow-up Components
Rationale for Post-decision Monitoring
- Compliance Monitoring
- Progress Monitoring
- Monitoring for Understanding
Effective Follow-up and Monitoring
- Objectives and Priorities Identified
- Targeted Approach to Data Collection
- Hypothesis-Based or Threshold-Based Approaches
- Combined Stressor- and Effects-Based Monitoring
- Control Sites
- Continuity in Data Collection
- Ensuring Adaptability, Flexibility, and Timelines
- Socio-economic-Inclusive Monitoring
- Participatory Monitoring
Monitoring Methods and Techniques
10. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN EIA
Involving the Publics
- Rationale for Involving the Public
Nature and Scope of Public Involvement
- Identifying the Publics
- Levels of Involvement
- Provisions and Requirements for Public Participation in Canada
Aboriginal Consultation and Engagement
- Duty to Consult
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Methods and Techniques
Meaningful Participation
- Basic Principles
- Operating Principles
PART THREE: ADVANCING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE
11. CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ASSESSMENT
Cumulative Environmental Effects
- Definition of Cumulative Effects
- Sources of Cumulative Effects
- Types of Cumulative Effects
- Pathways of Cumulative Effects
Models of Cumulative Effects Assessment
- Effects-Based CEA
- Stressor-Based CEA
- Good CEA
Framework for the Application of CEA
- Scoping
- Retrospective Analysis
- Prospective Analysis
- Management
State of CEA in Canada
- Enduring Challenges and Concerns
12. STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Strategically Oriented Environmental Assessment
- Characteristics of SEA
Systems of SEA
- SEA in Canada
- SEA Benefits and Opportunities
- Types of SEA
SEA Frameworks
- Develop a Reference Framework
- Scope the Baseline and Issues of Concern
- Identify Trends and Stressors
- Formulate Strategic Alternatives
- Assess Potential Effects under Each Alternative
- Identify a Strategic Direction
- Determine Mitigation or Enhancement Needs
- Develop a Follow-up Program
- Implement the Strategy, Monitor, and Evaluate
Directions in SEA
13. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND ETHICS NEW
Professional Practice of EIA
- Skills and Qualifications
Ethics and Practice
- Ethical Responsibilities
The Practitioner as Honest Broker
PART FOUR: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT POSTSCRIPT
14. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
Introduction
The Substantive Effectiveness of Environmental Assessment
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Cumulative Effects Assessment
- Strategic Environmental Assessment
Integrating the Silos of Environmental Assessment
Prospects
Glossary
Index