ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Environmental Management



Environmental Management

Concept of Environmental Impact Assessment

In order to understand the concept of Environmental Impact assessment, firstly environmental impact must be understood. Environmental impact can be defined as the alteration that occurs in the environment when carrying out a project or activity. Public works such as building a road, a swamp or a marina, cities, industries, a play area for country walks or climbing, a farm or an agricultural field, any activity of these has an impact on the environment. The disturbance is not always negative. It may be favourable or unfavourable to the environment.

The concept of Environmental Impact Assessment can be defined as a set of techniques that seek fundamental purpose of management of human affairs, so as to enable a way of life in harmony with nature. Before you start certain public works projects or activities that can cause significant impacts on the environment, the legislation requires to make an Environmental Impact Assessment produced. The purpose of EIA is to identify, predict and interpret the impacts that occur if the activity is executed (Morgan 1998, 70-89).

Types of Environmental Impact Assessments

The legislation calls for studies more or less detailed depending on the activity performed. It is not necessary that the same installation of a bar, a small business or a large dam or a nuclear plant causes the same impact. Various types of Environmental Impacts described below.

Environmental reports: Environmental reports join the project and are simple indicators of the environmental impact of remedial actions that could be taken.

Preliminary assessment: Preliminary assessment includes a first assessment of impacts; it is used to decide if it is necessary to have a more detailed assessment of the impacts of such activity.

Simplified assessment: Simplified assessment is a medium-depth study on the environmental impacts.

Detailed assessment: Detailed assessment is an in-depth study because the ...