1

Prof. Doutora Maria do Rosário Partidário

"Conceitos base em AIA/ EIA basic concepts"

Participação pública/ Public participation!Métodos e técnicas/ Methods and techniques"

Mestrado em Engenharia Civil "Master on Civil Engineering "Impactes Ambientais / Environmental Impacts 5/10"

2

2

A positive or negative change on a valuable asset resulting from the effect of human action.

Can be “measured” on physical, ecological, social, cultural or economic components (called environmental factors), within a given period of time and a geographical area, when compared to the situation that would occur should the action not take place

1.  What is an impact in EIA?

Basic concepts

3

IMPACT

Time Initiation"

With action

Without action"

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Horizon

Envi

ronm

enta

l fac

tors

Basic concepts

4

Criteria Impacts range Incidence Direct or indirect Signal Positive, Nul, Negative Importance Highly significant, less significant,

irrelevant Magnitude Maximum, moderate or minimum Probability Certain, probable or uncertain Duration Permanent or temporary Temporal dimension Immediatr, medium term or long term

Spatial dimension Adjacent, local, regional, national, transboundary, global

Reversibility Reversible (total or parcially) or irreversible

Classification of impacts

5

3. Components, scale and time dimensions

now 2010

2020

local regional national beyond

Physical environment

Socio-economic environment

6

Project: technical document of architecture and engineering, that contains the written reports and drawings that enable the physical design of an initiative (empreendimento). Project preparation and approval is usually a phased process (ex: previous study, ante-project, execution or licensing project). Action: activity, inserted or not in a project.

3. Project and Action

7

Procedure and Process 4.

Procedure: set of rule to proceed with a certain activity Process: sequence of phases and technical and administrative activities Also the set of documents relating to a case EIA procedure relates to the administration of the process (rules, timings, competences)

8

AIA e EIA / EIA and EIS 5.

AIA - Avaliação do Impacte Ambiental (Environmental Impact Assessment - EIA)

EIA - Estudo de Impacte Ambiental (Environmental Impact Study - EIS)

SCREENING

SCOPING

EIS PREPARATION

REVIEW

DECISION

POST-EVALUATION

Type of process

9

Systematic (life-cycle) approach 6.

EIA follows a systematic and iterative process that starts with intention to develop an action (start of impact causes) and ends with abandonnement

10

ALTERNATIVES 8.

Alternatives are fundamental to enable informed choice and avoid or minimize environmental impacts

Alternatives: option of how to do, or not to do, a project. “Zero Alternative”: expected evolution of the state of the environment in the absence of a project

11

Types of Alternatives: -  location -  dimension -  conception or design -  construction techniques and processes -  operation and maintenance techniques and procedures -  abandonnement procedures -  timing

12

9. Impacts significance - How much is an impact? - Depends on context (spatial and temporal) and intensity

Criteria and scale to establish the magnitude and importance of environmental impacts

- Population

- Health issues

- Natural protected areas

- Cultural heritage

- Costs, etc.

13

12. Mitigation measures Measures that aim at avoiding, reducing or compensate significative negative impacts = Minimization measures and compensation measures Residual Impacts: impossible to mitigate

14

Information to decision-making 13.

Decision-support tool, but does not take decisions

Must be proactive

Must present information that is technically and scientifc robust, credible, relevant and useful (www.iaia.org - impact assessment principles of good practice)

15

Teams 14. Multidisciplinary teams that work in an interdisciplinary fashion, with strong and competent leadership, ensuring sufficient technical input

Teams that develops studies

Temas that assess quality of environmental impact statement (EIS)

16

Public Participation

Assessment is based on values judgement;

Its effectiveness depends on range of values considered;

Any impact assessment must involve relevant stakeholders and public in various ways at various moments

Information must be ready and accessible

SENSU - Research Group on Strategic Approaches to Environment and Sustainability - DECivil e Arquitectura, IST

Concept

Public participation may be defined as the INVOLVEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS that are POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY affected by, or that are interested in, a proposed project, program, plan or policy, that is subject to a decision-making process

IAIA Public Participation, International Best Practice Principles, 2006

(www.iaia.org)

-  Education and information dissemination

-  Identification of problems, needs and values -  Generation of ideas, proposals and solutions to problems

-  Reaction to proposals -  Assessment of alternatives

-  Consensus building for conflict resolution

Objectives of public participation:

International Principles for Public Participation

(André, P., B. Enserink, D. Connor e P. Croal 2006 Public Participation International Best Practice Principles. Special Publication Series No. 4. Fargo, USA: International Association for Impact Assessment)

Basic Principles 1.  Adapted to the context 2.  Informative and proactive 3.  Adaptive and

communicative 4.  Inclusive and equitable 5.  Educative 6.  Cooperative 7.  Imputable

Operative principles 1.  Initiated early and

sustained 2.  Well planned and focused

on negotiable issues 3.  Supportive to participants 4.  Tiered and optimized 5.  Open and transparent 6.  Context-oriented 7.  Credible and rigorous (www.iaia.org / publications)

Aarhus Convention and European Directive 2003/4/CE of 28 January

http://www.unece.org/env/pp/

Access to information, Public participation in environmental decision-making and Access to justice in environmental matters

European Directive 2004/35/CE - environmental responsibility

International drivers Principle 10 of Rio Declaration(1992) Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens….each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment ….and the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes.

http://lithgow-schmidt.dk/sherry-arnstein/ladder-of-citizen-participation.html

Citizens participation ladder Arnstein (1969, Journal of the American Planning Association, 35: 216-224)

Manipulation

Information

Consultation

Participation

Delegation of power

Citizens control

Public weight in decision-making

What happens in IA – still much scope for improvement

SCREENING

SCOPING

PREPARATION OF EIR

QUALITY REVIEW

DECISION

POST-EVALUATION

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION as required by the EU Directive

Institutions consultation

Public participation

Shift paradigms

From giving information

Stakeholders Decisores Decision-makers

Information Consultation

to asking for views for creative development and mutual learning

•  science is not enough •  learning processes •  traditional knowledge •  collaborative processes

Be specific on:

!Whom? How? When? as early as possible

– when is that? Forms of communication (regional or minority languages)

identify target groups groups hard to reach groups that may hinder decision

Cameco case, Ontario Canada

Conversion of area and activities

http://www.cameco.com/fuel_services/port_hope_conversion/environment_safety/environmental_assessments/

EIA Methodologies and techniques

1.  Methods and techniques 2.  Significance of environmental impacts 3.  Uncertainty in impacts prediction 4.  Current state of the environment

Bibliography!CANTER, L. 1996, Environmental Impact

Assessment. McGraw-Hill. (ch 3, ch 15)"

Morris, P. and Therivel, R. (Eds), 2001. Methods of Environmental Impact Assessment, 2nd edition, Spon Press, London (2008 reprint).

Partidário e Jesus, 2003. Fundamentos de Avaliação do Impacte Ambiental. Universidade Aberta. "

EIA methodologies Introduction!

EIA methodologies – approaches developed to identify, predict and value changes of an action. Methodologies use methods and techniques to quantify or to qualify those changes. Even if all aspects and variables can be measured, the problem is to value them

1/3

Example of methods!1.  Experts judgement

2.  Checklists and matrices

3.  Flowcharts and decision trees

4.  Multicriteria analysis

5.  Case comparison

6.  Simulation Models

7.  GIS and map overlays

8.  Contingency analysis

9.  CBA, CEA, other economic evaluation

1.  Simple : no information needed on magnitude or importance of impacts"

2.  Descriptive, require information on magnitude or importance of impacts as well as indication on prediction methods and indicators."

3.  Questionnaires, three types of answer: “yes”, “no”, “may be”"

Three types:

Checklists

Simple checklists Impactes Project phase

Design Construction Operation Abandonnement 1. On water 1.1. Poluição 1.2. Decréscimo do caudal 1.3. Cambio de uso

X

X

X

2. On air 2.1. Poluição 2.2. Incremento do ruído 2.3. Presencia de maus cheiros

X

X X

3. On climate 3.1. Cambio de temperatura 3.2. Aumento das chuvas 3.3. Aumento da evaporação 3.4. Aumento de nebulosidade

X X X X

4. On soil 4.1. Perda de solo 4.2. Dunas 4.3. Acidificação 4.4. Salinizaçao 4.5. Geração de pântanos 4.6. Problemas de drenagem

X X X X

X

5. On vegetation and fauna 5.1. Perda de biodiversidade 5.2. Extinção de espécies 5.3. Alteração sobre espécies endémicas 5.4. Alteração sobre espécies protegidas

X X X X

6. On population 6.1. Perda de base de recursos 6.2. Alterações culturais 6.3. Perdas de recursos arqueológicos 6.4. Traslado de população

X X

X X

7. Other 7.1. Perda de valores paisagísticos

X

X

X

Issue Yes May be No Observation Noise. Will the project:

• Increase existing noise levels?

Vegetation. Will the project: • Change the diversity or productivity of

species or the number of any species (including trees, shrubs, aquatic plants, etc.)?

Energy. Will the project:

• Use substantial amounts of energy?

Transports and traffic. Will the project: • Generate additional traffic?

• Have effects or increase demand on parking infrastructures?

Public services Will the project have effects on, or result in, need for new services or changes in the following areas:

• Fire services?

• .....

Public reaction. Is the project:

• Potentially controverse?

• Conflictual with objectives in environmental plans locally adopted?

Chec

klis

ts:

impa

ct id

enti

fica

tion

Checklists

Advantage

•  structured list of key potential factors for analysis or key impacts - aide-memoire;

•  often result from experts judgement published by public / international organizations;

•  enable interdisciplinary discussions;

•  preparatory stage for matrix assessment (checklist of actions /activities and checklist of environmental components);

Disadvantage

•  Guided tour - standard analysis, misses specific issues

Matrices!Double entrance tables, permit establishment of relationships: "1.  Project actions or activities (causes) "2.  And the environmental factors (effects)""

Functions:""- Preliminary identification of impacts (scoping)"- Comparative analysis of alternatives"- Impact assessment"-Presentation of evaluation results"

Matrices!

Actio

ns"

a b c d e

a -2 +1

+8 5

b +7 +2

8 8

1 3

-9 7

Leopold Matrix (Leopold et al., 1971).

Magnitude (left-hand corner) and Importance or significance (right-hand corner). Scale 1 to 10. Values can still be signaled as positive ( “+”) or negative (“-”).

Environmental factors"

Matrices – Basic rules "1. Objectives and assumptions clear."2. Matrices can be used creatively to identify indirect

impacts, cumulative impacts or contributions to mitigation measures."

3.  Its better to use colour codes and graphical symbols in matrices."

4. The development ofa matrix does not imply that it needs to be used in the report, it may simply be an element of work "

5. Each impact analysis needs to be contextualized."

FLOWCHARTS!

Flowcharts and impacts trees, including network diagrams, enable the analysis of the inter-relationship between causes and effects and enables de analysis of indirect and cumulative impacts. """

FLOWCHARTS!

Fluxograma de impactes da aplicação aérea de herbicida (Bisset, 1983)

Aplicação aérea de herbicidas

Contaminação da água por herbicidas

Decréscimo do oxigénio dissolvido

Mortalidade de vegetação para alem da pretendida com o

herbicida

Perda de vegetação

ripícola

Contaminação de cadeia

alimentar no meio aquático

Decréscimo do crescimento de

algas, fitoplancton, etc

Aumento da temperatura da

água

Contaminação de cadeia alimentar no meio terrestre

Aumento do escoamento superficial

Aumento da perda de água

Aumento dos sedimentos

Aumento da carência de

oxigénio dissolvido

Danos na desova

Poluição da água por sólidos flutuantes

Aumento da erosão

Aumento do caudal

Flowcharts / Networks

Advantages: - integrated assessment, instead of discipline by discipline -  inter-relations between causes and effects, including indirect impacts -  cumulative impact assessment -  communication (when simple). Disadvantages: - complexity (especially visually complex) - difficult to distinguish and quantify magnitudes (and importance) of different impacts

Mapping spatial areas

Arcview

Overlays and GISs

Prediciton of impacts - Methods Prediction of impacts is based on the quantification or descriptive qualification of impacts identified. Prediction impacts are clearly dependent on impacts and disciplines.

Type of methods: • Experts opinion • Case comparison • Use of models • Experiments

Prediciton of impacts - Models Physical models – representation of the reality ina reduced scale, simulating processes. (Exs. Wind tunnels or coastal area physical models that simulate waves)

Visual models – elaboration of images that represent the environment before and after the development of a project and its alternatives. It can also address the timing dimension (e.g., seasonal changes, vegetation growth).

Mathematic models- maths or statistic simulations applied to the deterministic or probabilistic calculation, based on quantitative values.

Cartographic models- representation of reality that will be affected by the project through maps or charts. Cartographic overlaps enable impact preditions.

There is no single ideal method!

Significance of an impact – how to decide?

•  Cultural Importance •  Social Importance •  Ecological Relevance •  Environmental Standards •  Statistic significance •  Technical issues •  Political/institutional issues •  Cost

Finding the significance of impacts All the possible effects of proposed project

Significant impacts

Impact analysis ! Decision factors ! Environmental

relevance Scaling impacts

Environmental filter

Impact assessment – criteria for significant impacts – USA

•  health and safety •  unique characteristics in a geographical area, such as historical

and cultural resources, wetlands, scenic rivers, critical areas for nature conservation

•  human environmental quality at highly controversial levels •  Unceratin, unique or unknown risks on the human environment •  Precedent for future projects with significant impacts

Cumulative impacts

•  destruction of designated buildings, places or objects (cultural and historical) or scientific resources

•  Species or designated habitats •  Risk of violation of any law or regulation for environmental

protection

Significant impacts Canadian guidance

•  Determine adverse negative impacts

•  Determine magnitude, including cumulative impacts

• Determine geographical extension of negative impacts

• Determine duration and frequency

•  Determine the degree of reversibility

•  Assess its probability of occurrence

•  Assess the scientific uncertainty of the probability of occurrence of a significant impact

quantity: spatial and temporal resolution, reading mistakes, bias and imprecisions associated to the technique.

precision: detail on measurements

reliability: correctin of such measurements

The more precise is the information the more difficult it is to get reliable data.

Uncertainties related to:

Sources of uncertainty: •  information on baseline and on the project (quantity, precision, reliability) •  associated to the model •  preparation of the model •  application of the model

Characterization should: "•  limit itself to the relevant affected factors" "• be proportional to the probable significant impact""

1st step- establish objectives in information collection""Do not collect and present available information just because it is available, if it is irrelevant, concentrate efforst on relevant information"

Baseline

2nd step- analysis of available information and verification of such information to the defined objectives."

- spatial and temporal representativeness"

tempo

variá

vel a

mbi

enta

l

t1 t2 tempo

variá

vel a

mbi

enta

l

t1 t2

3rd stage- identify additional information needs, field work/ time available"

4th stage- synthesize collected information and identify gaps in knowledge and how important they are to the keyobjectives"

"

•  Methods vary depending on natural, social or economic variables"

•  Function of scoping and impacts identification"

Criteria for selection of methods:""-  Objectives"

-  impact indicators (relationship with monitoring)"

-  limitation: time and budget"

Baseline - methods