Module 7

OHT 7

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Achievements of the Environmental
Impact Assessment Process

Source: Adapted from Brown, L. and McDonald, G. (1995) From Environmental Impact Assessment to Environmental Design and Planning, Australian Journal of Environmental Management, 2 (2).

  1. Involved new and beneficial players in the planning and design process including:

    • academics not previously involved in planning activities (ecologists, anthropologists, etc)

    • the public, both directly and indirectly

    • non-government organisations.

  2. Encouraged the development of predictive and evaluative models (in the pollution area, for example) to assist with assessment.

  3. Stimulated the environmental education of many players in the development process, eg. engineers, planners, proponents, lawyers and decision-makers.

  4. Encouraged a greening of the boardroom - fewer environmentally unsound projects go on to the drawing board.

  5. Facilitated the development of environmental policies, guidelines, principles, ethics, mission statements and responsibilities in a diverse range of organisations, eg. private enterprise, government instrumentalities, and professional organisations.

  6. Acted as a vanguard for institutional and corporate mainstreaming of action in the environmental area, laying the foundations for environmental auditing and the adoption of sustainable development policies.