Cumulative effects and impacts: Introducing a community perspective

Abstract

Impact assessment has a long history and track record with respect to environmental issues. The assessment of impacts of natural resource development on environmental systems is sophisticated, but it is also challenged by its focus on single projects or inappropriate spatial or temporal scales. Further challenging assessment processes is the fact that social change is now more clearly and closely linked to the issues of environmental, community, and health impacts from natural resource development. This Chapter adds consideration of community-related topics into the context of integrated cumulative impacts and argues that consideration of community issues must be part of the re-thinking of an integrative regional cumulative impacts assessment framework.