Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is used to identify the environmental and social impacts of a project prior to decision-making. It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.

By using EIA both environmental and economic benefits can be achieved, such as reduced cost and time of project implementation and design, avoided treatment/clean-up costs and impacts of laws and regulations.

Key Elements of EIA

• Scoping: identify key issues and concerns of interested parties;
• Screening: decide whether an EIA is required based on information collected;
• Identifying and evaluating project alternatives: list alternative sites and techniques and the impacts of each;
• Mitigating measures dealing with uncertainty: review the proposed actions to prevent or minimise the potential adverse effects of the project;
• Issuing environmental statements: report the findings of the EIA.