Publisher's Synopsis
Environmental Assessment of Development Projects: A Guide for Managers and Planners is a concise guide with focus on environmental impact assessment of development projects and is aimed at meeting the needs of two target groups, namely, managers and planners working in the area of development projects. The guide has the broad objective of providing the target groups, and others, with the knowledge, skills, attitude and 'best practices' for integrating environmental assessment in all development projects. The Guide recognises the diverse characteristic of the nature and significance of environmental problems, which varies tremendously from country to country. The Guide delineates five categories that merit attention by planners and environmental managers, namely, natural habitat destruction; land degradation; fresh water resources degradation and depletion; agricultural, industrial and urban pollution; and degradation of the "global commons". The Guide provides an analytical exposition of potential environmental impacts of a variety of selected development projects with the aim of articulating a checklist of potential environmental impacts for each category of development projects that should be anticipated while carrying out an EIA study on any of the major categories of development projects. A synthesis of the process, the methodology and best practices deployed in EIA adds uniqueness, clarity, exposition and richness to the subject content of the Guide. Economic analysis of environmental impacts, environmental auditing and selected case studies are a conspicuous feature.
