Conceptual Dimensions to Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Environmental Impact Assessment, under Peruvian Environmental Legislation

Abstract

30 years after its implementation in the national legislation of Peru, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been revised in order to determine which indicators could be used to evaluate its effectiveness. Sources of information on the quality and effectiveness of the EIA for the sustainable use of natural resources were analyzed, achieving a conceptual model of a value chain for results-based management from the public administration, identifying the inputs and activities to offer a service of environmental certification that specifically results in the sustainable use of natural resources, and contributes to the enjoyment of a balanced and adequate environment for the development of life. From the review made to Chanchitpricha and Bond (2013), Bond et al. (2015) and Pope et al. (2018), among 39 others, we distinguish six (06) dimensions that allow evaluating the effectiveness of the EIA, referring to the sustainable use of natural resources, which are: i) normative, reaching the goals established in the policies; ii) participatory, safely and reliably involving stakeholders; iii) organizational, facilitating the management of knowledge about EIA as a tool for environmental management; iv) transactional, efficiently managing resources in the execution of the EIA, such as time, finances, scope or requirements and personnel skills; v) procedural, due to a consistent and reliable procedural framework; and, vi) substantive, due to the effectiveness of the decision made by the competent authority regarding the environmental viability of the project submitted to the EIA. This paper is a contribution to further studies on the effectiveness of EIA in addressing the environmental and social problems that we currently face, and the possible trends to appear in future decades.