This report builds on a previous document entitled “Environmental Impact Assessment:
Issues, Trends and Practice” issued by UNEP in 1996. This latter document was the result
of the cooperative efforts of a number of international experts committed to supporting
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a major part of capacity building for
sustainable development.
UNEP acknowledges the increasing interest in the application of Strategic Environmental
Assessment (SEA) and attempts to better integrate the use of EIA with other tools in the
project and programme life-cycle and achieve the integration of environmental, social
and economic impacts when tools such as EIA and SEA are being used. Indeed,
UNEP has actively pursued integration in the use of assessment tools in particular sectors
such as trade and trade-related issues. As a result UNEP commissioned an update
of Environmental Impact Assessment: Issues, Trends and Practice to reflect the
ever-expanding work accomplished, and experience gained, in the pursuit of what may
be termed “Integrated Assessment” practice. This report is the outcome of that important
initiative.
A draft of this report benefited greatly from peer review by a panel of international
specialists who devoted considerable time and effort to improving the draft. Their advice
and encouragement was invaluable in determining the final structure and content of this
document. The authors are indebted to the following members:
Dr M. Husain Sadar, Adjunct Professor, Department of Natural Resource Sciences,
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, MacDonald Campus, McGill
University, Canada; Dr Peter Tarr, Executive Director, Southern African Institute for
Environmental Assessment, Namibia; Kin Che LAM, PhD, Professor & Head,
Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong
Kong, Hong Kong; Dr Mark Curtis, Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resource
Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Canada; and Ms Amel Benzarti,
General Director, Centre International des Technologies de l’Environnement de Tunis
(CITET), Tunisia.
The report was edited