Ongoing environmental impact assessment as a force for change

Abstract

Environmental impact assessment should be an ongoing process, not one that starts with the formulation of a proposal and ends with the decision to go ahead. A simple iterative model is proposed, with four tasks (identification, prediction, summarization, and evaluation), occurring during screening, scoping, assessment, and implementation. The model is illustrated using a case study from Western Australia from the mineral processing industry. It shows the importance of continual monitoring in guiding the evolution of a project. -Authors