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Environmental Assessment

Terms in this set (89)

Environmental Assessment
- process to address environmental concerns associated with development over past 40 years
- designed to translate scientific data, knowledge, and understanding into decision-making
- The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating, and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made
Strengths of EA
- forces planning agencies and some private sector interests to consider the environment early in the decision-making process
- increases public input into planning and management process
- increases social equity (gives a voice to those who may not have one)
- integrates, environmental, social and economic considerations
Weaknesses of EA
- does not apply to all projects, in particular many private sector projects. (e.g. Most small and medium scale mining projects in Canada)
- many actors subject to EA work to minimize the process (proponents trying to reduce the impact of an EA)
- efficiency vs. effectiveness debate
- unprofessional behaviour (e.g. Deep Horizon oil spill)
Systems Principles
- systems is a way of thinking about the world
- systems behave as a whole
- systems understanding is observer- or perspective-dependent
- a systems approach requires multiple perspectives
- system is affected by where we draw systems boundaries
- we need to be aware of what is going both inside and outside of the system
- systems are 'nested' - we should always think about the system we're looking at as being made of smaller systems while also being a part of larger systems
- every system consists of stock (input) --flow of resources--> function or purpose (output)
Valued Ecosystem Component
Any part of the environment that is considered important by the proponent, public (e.g. individuals or community), First Nations, scientists and government (e.g. Chief and Council, Provincial, etc.) involved in the assessment process.

Importance may be determined on the basis of cultural values or scientific concern.
National Park Idea
- Washarn-Landford-Doane Expedition of Yellowstone, 1870
- Hedges introduced revolutionary idea of waving personal claims to the area and protecting it for all time as a reserve for the people, rather than exploiting it
- First National Park: Yellowstone, 1872
Principles and Ideas of EA
1. Significant natural areas should be set aside for protection from human use.
2. Limit waste, maximize use of natural resources and conserve.
3. Integration - link human development to environmental issues, today referred to as socio-ecological considerations.
4. Environmental planning and program delivery should be based on scientific inventory, ecosystem boundaries and restoration
5. Regulation of the environment
6. Civil Society has and will continue to play a vital role in environmental issues
7. Communication is central to all environmental planning and program delivery; current thinking includes contributions to social learning.
8. Efficient, effective and fair (includes meaningful consultation)
9. Use of innovative, transparent and knowledge generating evaluation techniques.
10. Environmental plans and programs should apply to public as well as private lands.
11. Sustainability principles should be applied to all environmental planning and program delivery.
12. Multi-party and collaborative processes hold significant potential.
13. Ecosystem integrity and function, and monitoring
Ontario Conservation Authorities
- branch created from advocacy by civil society group (concerned individuals, lay and professionals) who were worried about degradation of natural resources in Ontario
- Two key groups: Federation of Ontario Naturalists (FON) and the Ontario Conservation and Reforestation Association (OCRA)
- The Guelph Conference, 1941
- led to 1946 Conservation Authorities Act, which allowed authorities to be formed by municipalities
- there are currently 36 Conservation Authorities
Silent Spring
- book written by Rachel Carson in 1962
- sparked modern environmental movement
- exposed hazards of the pesticide DDT
- Carson = renowned author and marine biologist, writer, poet
Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Planning
- developed as planning tool to utilize the potential of the Planning Act to address the concerns of natural habitat loss
- initiated in early '70's at U of Waterloo, developed idea of designating Environmentally Sensitive Areas in regional offical plans - provided limited control on development through planning procedures without the need for municipal purchase
- ESA: natural landscapes that contain features such as aquifer recharge, headwaters, unusual plants, wildlife, or landforms, breeding or over-wintering animal habitats, vital ecological functions, rare or endangered species, or combinations of habitat and landforms which could be valuable for scientific research or conservation education. These ESA's may or may not have been significantly affected by certain human activities and they may or may not require intensive management in order to restore, maintain, or improve certain of their natural values.
- documentation of the value of sites and their designation in the official plan and zoning bylaw
- environmental impact study following guidelines set out in the official plan
- municipality works with the proponent, should this not be possible the landowner can apply for an official plan amendment
Sustainability Principles
- integrity
- sufficiency and opportunity
- efficiency
- democracy and civility
- precaution
- immediate and long term integration
Classical steps of Business and Government Planning Process
- projecting likely outcomes of alternatives
- evaluating them in light of goal-oriented criteria
- selection of preferred alternative and implementation
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- 1970, NEPA = first legislation to contain EIA requirements
- government consideration of environmental effects of their projects and programs (government had to create majority of the infrastructure to perform these evaluations)
- prevented actions and modified development while avoiding and reducing environmental impacts
- increased public involvement (public perspective required to determine impact or projects)
- issues including biodiversity conservation have been woven into NEPA
Weaknesses of NEPA
- lack of integration into agency planning
- philosophical objectives (difficult to gain understanding from public)
- imprecise/non straightforward science of impact assessment
- prevention focussed rather than proactive
- inadequate monitoring
- bureaucratic process (to increase efficiency, harmonization between government agencies will be necessary - prevents overlap)

* must also ensure that increases in efficiency do not undermine the effectiveness of environmental assessment (i.e. quality and fairness)
Objectives of EA
- use planning to protect quality of environment
- scout the future, help decision-makers achieve desired goals
- explicitly account for the environment in decision-making
- improve government plans, functions, programs and resources for each generation
- maximize benefits from environment without degradation
- preserve important historical, culture, natural aspects
- use science-based assessment
Generic Process for Environmental Development
1. Project Description
2. Screening
3. Scoping
4. Alternatives
5. Impact Prediction and Evaluation
6. Impact Management
7. Review and Decision
8. Implementation, Follow-up and Monitoring

** Public consultation should be occurring throughout this entire process
Types of Assessments
- baseline
- prediction
- ecological
- social
- economic
- significance (how big will the impact be?)
- trade-offs
- mitigation, restoration, compensation
- monitoring
Issues with EA (and concerns)
- Project vs. Policies, Programs, and Plans (3 Ps)
- Cumulative effects
- narrowing of scope
- proponent-driven vs. government-led
- costs
- public engagement
- government ideology
Significance
Within specified time and space boundaries, a significant impact is a predicted or measured change in an environmental attribute which should be considered in project decisions, depending on the reliability and accuracy of the prediction and the magnitude of change

The magnitude of the change must be considered - it could vary based on the situation and location. For example, losing land in the northern hemisphere versus the southern hemisphere could have a different significance. Significance can also be determined using standards and targets (such as water quality, natural heritage systems and policies).
Scientific and Technical Requirements of Biophysical and Cumulative Impact Assessment
- Boundaries: time and space boundaries
- Quantification: quantitative study should dominate
- Modeling: conceptual and quantitative modeling very useful
- Prediction: EA = impact prediction (prediction of change from baseline)
- Study design: need clear direction on study strategy or framework for investigation
Recommendations for conducting Environmental Impact Assessment
- joint planning of impact assessment between proponents and government
- identify VECs
- define a context for impact significance
- establish clear temporal and spatial boundaries for study
- develop and implement a study strategy
- specify the nature of predictions
- require monitoring of project effects
Valued Ecosystem Component (VEC)
- any part of the environment that is considered important by the proponent, public, scientists and government involved in the assessment process
- importance may be determined on the basis of cultural values or scientific concern
Methods for Impact Prediction and Classification
- examination of similar projects
- checklists
- simple matrices
- networks
- overlays and feature mapping (GIS very popular)
- system models
- expert judgment
Why is expert judgment the least desirable?
- Experts are often hired by the proponent. If experts are hired by consulting company on behalf of proponent, the opinions provided by them will be biased (they want their paycheck, which is provided by the proponent)
Tools for Impact Prediction
- modelling
- extrapolation
- experimental
- analogue
- scenario
- spatial
Cumulative Effect
- changes to the environment that are caused by an action in combination with other past, present and future human actions
- specific consideration of effects due to other projects

- e.g. the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline could have necessitated the construction of roads and housing for those working on the pipeline; one development triggered a series of other developments
Cumulative Effects Mechanisms
Time crowding: repeated so frequently that the ecosystem has no time to recover/assimilate effects
- e.g. construction of many mines in Sudbury; continuous development of mines could have permanent effects on ecosystems, forests may not have time to replenish themselves due to cutting/logging for the pulp mill, overly frequent fishing could impact local fish species
Space crowding: so close together that effects overlap
- e.g. new mines and abandoned mines all being developed in northern town
Synergistic effects: different impacts combine
- e.g. overfishing and mill effluent going into a receiving body
Indirect effects: delayed impact via complex pathways
- e.g. a bunch of mines in Sudbury without SO2 controls, results in acid rain which falls into Sudbury area and eventually spreads to become an international problem; mine tailings
Precedent setting: development leads to further development
- e.g. establishment of mine in remote community forces construction of roads/infrasturcture

- combination of any of the mechanisms listed above
Other descriptors: fragmentation or patchiness effects, triggers and thresholds, time lags
Cumulative Effects Assessment vs. Traditional EIA
- assessment over larger area and longer time period
- considers effects on VECs due to interactions with other actions, and not just the effects of the single action under review
- includes other past, existing, and future actions
- evaluates significance in consideration of other effects rather than just local ones
Scoping in CEA
Identification of regional issues
Selection of appropriate regional VECs
Identification of spatial and temporal boundaries
Identification of other actions
Identification of potential impacts
Factors in determining Significance
- exceedance of a threshold
- effectiveness of mitigation
- size of study area
- incremental contribution of effects from action under review
- relative contribution of effects of other actions
- relative rarity of species
- significance of local effects
- magnitude of change relative to natural background variability
- creation of induced actions
- degree of existing disturbance
Three P's
Policies, plans, programs (projects?)
Social Impact Assessment
- efforts to assess, appraise or estimate, in advance, the social consequences that are likely to follow from proposed actions
- if done properly, can help communities and agencies plan for social change resulting from proposed action or bring forward information that will prevent the action from being undertaken
- brings local knowledge to decision process
- saves money by scoping what is important
Social Impacts
The consequences to human populations of any public or private actions that alter the ways in which people live, work, play, relate to one another, organize to meet their needs and generally cope as members of society.

Also includes cultural impacts involving changes to the norms, values and beliefs that guide and rationalize their cognition of themselves and society.
Coconut Revolution
- Indigenous peoples of Bougainville Island stood up to Papua New Guinea, Australia, and a mining company who developed a mine on their land
- fighting was for: man and his culture, land and environment, independence
- land was originally taken by force, local residents not properly compensated for their loss
- war ensued, 11,000 Bougainvillians killed
- now Bougainvillians have blockaded the island, are self-sufficient
Social Impact Assessment Principles
- Achieve extensive understanding of local and regional settings to be affected by action or policy (identification/description of interested stakeholders, development of baseline information (profiles) of local and regional communities
- Focus on key elements of the human environment (identification of key social and cultural issues related to action or policy from community and stakeholder profiles; selection of social and cultural variables which measure and explain why these key issues were identified)
- Identify research methods, assumptions and significance (use of holistic research methods/consideration of all aspects of expected social impacts; description of cumulative social effects, ensure methods and assumption are transparent and replicable; selection of forms and levels of data and collection and analysis which are appropriate to the significance of the action or policy)
- Provide quality information for use in decision-making (collect qualitative and quantitative social, economic, and cultural data sufficient for analysis of all reasonable alternatives)
- Ensure that any environmental justice issues are fully described and analyzed (make sure that research methods have incorporated underrepresented and vulnerable parties; consider distribution of all impacts (social, economic, air quality, noise, health etc.) to different social groups (may consider ethnic or monetary divisions))
- Undertake evaluation/monitoring and mitigation (establish mechanisms for evaluation and monitoring of the program/action/policy; provide mechanism and plan for assuring effective mitigation takes place if it is required; identify data gaps and plan for filling data needs)
Community Profile
- part of SIA
- baseline study
- map of existing conditions and past trends associated with human environment in which action is being proposed
Social Impact Variables
- measurable change in human populations, communities, and social relationships resulting from the proposed action
- variables can be grouped under general headings of: population change, community and institutional structures, community and family changes, community resources
Stages in Policy/Project Development
1. Planning
- should involve public input, assessment of information from these sources
2. Construction/implementation
- consider economic impact
3. Operation/maintenance
- monitoring should be occurring to ensure that everything is progressing as predicted
4. Abandonment
Provincial Policy Statement
- part of the Planning Act
- extremely important statement created by the province; the way that the province speaks to municipal governments and consultants
- things went from recommendations to being mandatory
- recognizes complex interrelationships between economic, environmental, social factors in planning
- efficient use and management of land
- environment and resource protection
- employment and residential development
- clear policy direction
- protection/maintenance of natural heritage, diversity, long term ecological function of natural heritage systems (improvement if possible)
Why is strategic planning valuable?
- need to get "big picture" right rather than just doing everything at the project level
- must take into consideration future needs and infrastructure that needs to be implemented
- taking into account programs, policies and procedures provides the context we need for more thoughtful development
- better than considering small projects here and there
ANSI
Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
Natural Heritage in Planning Act
- development/site alteration not permitted in significant wetlands, woodlands, valleys, wildlife habitats, ANSIs, certain fish habitats, adjacent lands to natural heritage features (unless proven that there will be no impact), significant habitat of endangered or threatened species
Water in Planning Act
- watershed planning
- inventory of water features and functions
- municipal drinking water supply protection
- protection, improvement, or restoration of surface and groundwater and hydrology
- water conservation
- minimize contaminant loads and stormwater volumes
Oak Ridges Moraine Case Study
- moraine laid down by glaciers north of Lake Ontario
- very strict use guidelines, planning influenced by conservation biology
- themes: pre-conservation biology science and planning, advocacy and politics, evolution of conservation biology policy, role of conservation biology science, collaboration
- lots of advocacy by wealthy parties
- domain creation
- hypothetical natural heritage system
Lessons of Land Use Planning
- important legislation: Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, Fisheries Act, Species at Risk Act, Lakes and River Improvement Act/Conservation Authorities Act, Source Water Protection Act, Planning Act, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act
- proper inventory necessary
- consider environment early in the design process
- use conservation biologists
- consider context
- apply leading edge science
- work for improvement rather than just minimizing negative environmental effects
- public and stakeholder involvement, ensure social justice
- precautionary principle
When should an environmental assessment be undertaken?
- as early as possible in the planning stage of designated project
- allows proponent to reflect on the analysis of the proposed plans, including incorporation of mitigation measures to address adverse environmental effects
Canadian Environment Assessment Act, 2012
- establish legislative basis for federal practice of environment assessment in most regions of Canada
Purpose:
- protect components of the environment (within federal legislative authority) from significant adverse environmental effects caused by the proposed project
- ensure that designated projects are considered and carried out in a careful and precautionary manner to avoid significant adverse environmental effects
- promote cooperation and coordination between federal and provincial governments
- promote communication and cooperation with Aboriginal peoples
- ensure that opportunities are provided for meaningful public participation
- ensure that environment assessments are completed in a timely manner (AGGRESSIVE TIMELINES)
- ensure that proposed projects carried out of supported by a federal authority (whether outside or within Canada) are considered in a careful and precautionary manner to avoid adverse environmental effects
- encourage federal authorities to promote sustainable development (healthy environment and healthy economy
- encourage further studies of cumulative effects of physical activities in a region
- only types of EA left in act are comprehensive studies and review panels
Comprehensive Study
- tend to be larger projects having potential for significant adverse environmental impacts; may generate public concerns
e.g. large scale oil and gas developments, nuclear power developments, electrical generation projects, industrial plants, certain projects in national parks
Review Panel
- group of experts selected on basis of their knowledge and expertise, appointed by Minister of the Environment, strictly for advisory purposes
- Minister appoints one member as chairperson
- appointed to review and assess, in an impartial and objective manner, a project with likely adverse environmental effects
- may also be appointed in case where it is warranted by public concern
- less common with current conservative federal government
What is examined in a federal EA?
- environmental effects (including those caused by accidents or malfunctions, cumulative effects)
- significance of ^ environmental effects
- public comments
- mitigation measures and follow-up program requirements
- purpose of the designated project
- alternative means of carrying out designated project
- changes to project caused by environment
- results of any relevant regional study
- anything else that is relevant
Steps of federal EA process
1. Determine if EA is required and identify who's involved
2. Plan the EA
3. Conduct analysis and prepare EA report
4. Review EA report
5. Make EA deicsion
6. Implement mitigation and follow-up program as appropriate
Harmonization
- coordination of environment assessments so that a single environmental assessment meets the legal requirements
- responsible authority may delegate any part of an EA it is required to investigate to another jurisdiction
- promotion of downloading to provincial level - provincial assessments can be used as substitutes for federal EAs if the Minister of the Environment feels it is appropriate
Project
either:
- an activity in relation to a physical work
- an activity not related to physical work which is described in the Inclusion List Regulations
- projects used to be able to be exempted from EA provided they were described on the Exclusion List Regulations (deemed unlikely to have environmental impact), were carried out in response to national emergency (temporary special measures allowed) or in emergencies that were a hazard to public health and safety => this has been removed from the Act
Triggers of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
When a federal authority:
- proposes a project
- provides financial assistance to a proponent to enable a project to be carried out
- sells, leases or otherwise transfers control or administration of federal land to enable a project to be carried out
Participant Funding
- the Agency's Participant Funding Program supports the participation of individuals, non-profit groups and First Nations groups in EAs that the Agency is conducting or EAs that have been referred to a review panel
- eligible activities: reviewing and providing comments on technical documents describing predicted environmental effects of project and mitigation measures
Eligibility determined by:
- having direct/local interest in project
- having community knowledge or Aboriginal traditional knowledge relevant to the EA
- have expert information relevant to the anticipated environmental effects of the project
Main steps in federal EA
- project description submission and acceptance
- notification of consideration whether EA is required
- comment period on designated project and its potential environmental effects
If an EA is required:
- comment period of draft environmental impact statement guidelines
- participant funding application period and funding allocation
- proponent completes environmental studies and submits environmental impact statement to the Agency
- Agency reviews this statement
- comment period related to environmental impact statement
- proponent revises its statement info and submits any further info to Agency
- Agency prepares draft EA report
- comment period on draft EA report
- Agency finalizes EA report and sends it to the Minister of the Environment
- determination of whether significant adverse environmental effects are justified
- Minister issues EA decision statement with enforceable conditions
- regulatory decision making
- implementation of mitigation measures and follow-up program
Screening of a Project
Determining whether or not an EA is required:
- 45 days to make decision after notice of consideration is posted
Considerations:
- description of designated project provided by proponent
- possibility of adverse effects from project should it be carried out
- any comments received from the public within 20 days of the posting
- results of any relevant regional studies
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
- involves reviewing policy, plan and program proposals to incorporate environment considerations into the development of public policies
- a particular tool for analyses that contribute to a sustainability component to existing decision making processes, and, more ambitiously, as an approach to decision making at the strategic level that focuses on sustainability considerations
- Cabinet Directive on the EA of PPP Proposals clarifies the obligations of the agencies and departments; links SEA to implementation of sustainable development strategies
- departments and agencies now required to prepare a public statement of environmental effects when a detailed assessment of these effects has been conducted through an SEA (assure stakeholder and public that environmental factors have been sufficiently considered in decision making)
- response to limitations of project environmental assessment (reactionary, rushed, narrow, poorly integrated)
- formal, legislated, technical protocol used to inform other wise conventional policy, program, plan development
- communication tool between EA practitioners and decision-makers
- replacement for conventional decision-making approaches (full range of sustainability considerations)
- allows for development to be sustainable at upper levels of management (policy level) rather than just down at the bottom (project level) = less work required at project level
Voisey's Bay Mine and Mill
- mine nickel (+ copper and cobalt) at location in northern Labrador
- large open pit followed by underground mine, formation of tailings basins
- ship transportation and job creation
- Panel Review Report; five personal panel appointed
- two rounds of public meetings
- consideration of harm to plants and animals, country foods of Aboriginal people, long vs. short term social and economic benefits
- project did not appear to be seriously harmful based on Panel's recommendations (key issue -= length of mine operation, Panel created conditions that pace of mining would be slowed if ores were smaller to ensure lifetime of mine was long enough)
- Land Claims or Impact and Benefit Agreements with First Nations to ensure that they participated in resource development, were properly consulted, received fair compensation
- recommendation that proponent perform studies on shipping schedules around the year
- air quality and tailings quality treatment
- wastewater, pollution, sludge management recommendations
- contaminant monitoring program developed
- addressed fish and fish habitats, seals and whales (regional studies to be carried out), plants and caribou
- employment considerations; increased access for First Nations people and women
- anti-racism/cross-cultural programs; second chance policy
- women's concerns and perspectives built into decision making; improvements in childcare services
Ontario EA Act
- protection, conservation, and wise management of the environment
- responsible, accountable, transparent decision-making process before project is undertaken
- environmental accountability through public involvement and appeal (appeal allows the project to be sent back for a "second look")
Individual Environmental Assessment
- Ontario EA
- all municipal waste disposal proposals serving >= 1500 people
- all designated private sector waste disposal proposals serving >= 1500 people
- any municipal project that costs more than $3.5M (unless covered by a Class EA)
- GO Transit proposals not covered by GO Transit Class EA
- Ontario Power Generation projects not covered by Ontario Hydro class EA
Class Environmental Assessment
- Ontario EA
- requirements defined in Ontario EA Act
- permits a group of projects to proceed in accordance with the approved Parent document, which lays out the rules
e.g. Class EA for a road (very strict guidelines)
- with an appeal, a Class EA can be bumped up to an Individual EA (usually if someone feels it needs more attention)
- similar process to Individual EA but with less substantial evaluation and no final Ministry of Environment approval
- efficient and effective screening and evaluation - consultation processes matched to project type
- for group/class of projects with common attributes, qualities, or characteristics
- provides site specific analysis
- facilitates better decision making
- faster timeline; addresses classes or projects that are smaller scale and occur more frequently
Designation Requests
- written submission to minister requesting that a project not currently subject to an EA be made subject
- requires Cabinet approval
- most requests are for designation of private sector projects
- most turned down
Declaration Request
- proponent makes written submission to the minister to have project that is subject to EA Act declared not subject (99% turned down)
Major Steps of Ontario EA
- terms of reference (framework, minister approval, these serve as a standard for the rest of the EA process/review)
- public review of terms of reference
- preparation of EA document
- submission of EA document for review, public comment, and decision by Minister
- review: report sent to different ministries, who examine the EA and provide comments
- public allowed to comment on terms of reference, government's review of the EA, if a mediation or EA hearing should be carried out to address outstanding issues
- EA requires public consultation; allows for early identification of significant issues
- timelines only apply to the government, not the proponent (want the proponent to do a good job)
- issues may be sent to mediation during review (60 day max)
EA Board/Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT)
- independent/impartial tribunal established by legislation; civil servants
- public hearings
- senior people with background in environmental science/environmental studies, no potential for director to influence the tributal
Issues in apply Class EA framework for southern Ontario to northern Ontario
- northern Ontario generally undocumented region/minimal knowledge
- effects prediction may not be consistent across these two regions
- Ontario Provincial Class EAs were intended to address classes of projects that occur frequently (in s. Ontario), impacts smaller scale and generally well-understood
- class EA template that was developed based on southern Ontario context is not directly transferable to the northern Ontario context, as assumptions about predictability and manageability do not hold true
Victor Mine Power Supply Class EA
- discovery of Victor Kimberlite deposits
- February 2004: Victor Diamond Mine Comprehensive EA (federal EA) submitted for review
- June 2004: terms of reference for individual EA submitted, withdrawn August 2004
- August 2004: Class EA for Victor Diamond Mine Power Supply Project commences
- May 2005: Victor Mine Power Supply Environmental Study Report submitted for review
- August 2005: two separate bump-up requests denied, co-proponents allowed to proceed
- Duty to consult and accommodate: government must fulfill a certain level of consultation with respect with what is going on in these territories, address issues of hunting and fishing
- Consent: First Nations worldwide stating they should have consent on what happens within their own traditional territories
- DeBeers called for a comprehensive EA, then engaged the Attiwapiskat FN from the outset, ignoring all other FNs involved
- Attiwapiskat declared the mine site was on their traditional territories only
- Nishnabe Aski Nation wrote to government requesting panel EA and to include other first nations - angered Attiwapiskat
- DeBeers used "divide and conquer" strategy to get what they wanted.
- Learnings: there is a need for strategic planning to provide context within which EA is carried out; this lack of environmental consideration in policies allowed DeBeers to manipulate and take advantage of the FNs.
- Strategic planning needs to inform EA
- temporal and spatial scale very important (inclusion/exclusion of other FNs) - the scale can be used to broaden or restrict the EA
- leverage and power very important, misuse/misdirection of this power can lead to negative repercussions
Requirements for Predictable Effects
- required for application of Class EAs to other locations
- environment must be similar in all locations where Class EAs are applied (similar baselines) - otherwise impact predictions are out of context
- rates of environmental change in different locations must be similar (understanding environmental dynamics very important in making predictions)
- sufficient experience through research and previous projects so that project effects are known, predictable, and easily managed. This experience requires sufficient data/knowledge/information with reference to the system's ability to cope with stress (related to the project impacts)
- differing biophysical, socio-economic, and cultural environments
Cumulative EA
- was scrapped
- formerly used to expand projects to include bigger picture issues ("blowing up")
- identify VECs
- determine whether human activities will affect the VECs
- predict cumulative impacts of the project and human activities
- suggest management strategies for cumulative impacts
Strategic EA
- new process
- factors at lower project levels are "scaled up" to upper management levels
- driven by need to optimize the three Ps: policies, programs, plans
- e.g. York Durham Sewage System
Monitoring
- observations
- maintaining regular surveillance by making measurements at regular time intervals over an indefinite (usually long) period of time
- EA requires baseline data for impact prediction
- following development, monitoring is carried out to see if predictions come true, information used by decision makers --> Adaptive Environmental Management
Environmental Monitoring
- repetitive measurement of indicators which enable one to anticipate and provide a better understanding of spatial and temporal changes in environmental quality
Types of Monitoring
- simple monitoring (observation)
- proxy or surrogate monitoring
- survey monitoring
- integrated monitoring
Simple Monitoring
- records values of a single variable at one or many geographical points/locations over time
- e.g. air temperatures, water levels, CO2 levels
Proxy or Surrogate Monitoring
- data obtained from information that is "stored" in the environment that relates to the desired variable
e.g. information stored in air bubbles of ice cores - used to infer air temperatures over past 1/4M years, coring trees and analyzing growth rings can inform on past growth rates
Integrated Monitoring
- answers the "why?" that is not covered in simple and surrogate monitoring
- more detailed set of ecological information obtained to establish cause and effect relationships

Four Objectives:
1. Establish cause and effect relationships
2. Derive scientifically defensible pollution control or resource management programs
3. Measure the environmental response to the control variables
4. Provide early warnings of new problems
Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network
Goals: to provide a mechanism to bring Canadian federal, provincial, regional, local agencies and ENGOs together for better coordinated and functional ecological monitoring and EA at varying scales
1. Augment Environment Canada's capacity to collect, access, integrate, manage, interpret, apply, and communicate sound data and information of ecosystem status and trends
2. Standard monitoring measures to allow for comparison of data and information across scales
3. Long-term monitoring is essential to providing appropriate data; must ensure that data is properly stored
Community Based Monitoring
- government cutbacks
- allows community to break into the domain of experts
- influencing decision making
- learning
- building networks
- creating social capital

Examples: Citizen Science (birds), ice phenology, plant phenology, lichen count
Advocacy Monitoring
- monitoring carried out to stop developments from happening
- governments want to avoid this type of monitoring
- could result in environmentalists being classified as terrorist if they oppose the interest of the majority or national interest

e.g. Red Hill Creek advocacy monitoring (opposition of road construction in Hamilton), carried out by students, data confirmed by Environment Canada
Multi-party Monitoring
- monitoring carried out by government, private sector, community groups, local institutions, academia and civil society in collaboration
- need for frameworks
- leadership by community
- allows for informed decision making
Theoretical Framework and Conceptual Framework
- describes, explains, predicts
- characterizes what are believed to be key components and relationships of system, no expectation for framework to describe or predict
Standardization
- part of monitoring
- roll up of data at all scales
- collaborative, engages experts and citizens, builds community and social capital
- provides research opportunities
- ensures best methods and protocols
- allows for information sharing and comparison
- quality control

e.g. benthic monitoring: multi-party process that allowed form development of harmonized method of monitoring, database archiving and analysis
Meath Hill ("Road") Case Study
- individual EA
- VECs selected: natural, social, economic, cultural environment, land use, cost, agriculture
- construction of two-lane highway - would take business away from small towns
- many other alternatives: alternative routes proposed, or increased signage/better road management, do nothing, improve existing public transport, widening of lanes, passing lanes - roadway operational and infrastructure improvements retained as reasonable alternatives
- boundaries influenced by previous upgrades, 1975 proposed alignment, area on west side of lake that would be used for road
- VEC studies: secondary and field investigations into biophysical, cultural, economic, transportation issues
- impacts predicted and mitigation proposed on each alternative, matrix used for decision analysis
Stages of Social Impact Assessment
1. Public Involvement
2. Describe proposed action
3. Community Profiles (baseline study)
4. Scoping
5. Projection of Estimated Effects
6. Formulation of Alternatives
7. Mitigation
8. Monitoring
Resilience
- capacity of a system to tolerate disturbance without collapsing into a qualitatively different state that is controlled by a whole new set of processes
- resilient systems can withstand shocks and rebuild themselves if necessary
- resilience in social systems allows for humans to anticipate and plan for the future.
- system is most resilient when you have competing agents at the exploitation phase, because the system is constantly adapting and coming up with ways to evolve
- system most fragile at conservation phase

e.g. resilient ecosystem can rebuild itself, resilient economic system can recover from downfall
Resilience Assessment
1. Description of system: how is it resilient, and to what; identification of key issues, scales above and below
2. System Dynamics: model of change, multiple system states, thresholds and transformations
3. Interactions: cross-scale; cascading change; general resilience
4. System Governance: adaptive governance and institutions; social networks (examine the strength of the social network in the system)
5. Acting on the Assessment: may want to initiate a change in the system to see how it will respond; synthesizing findings, resilience-based stewardship; initiating transformation
- predictive and adaptive like cumulative and strategic EA
- not limited to scaling up
- potentially more holistic than EA
Holling's Figure 8
aka "Panarchy" or the Adaptive cycle: systems alternatively go through stages of growth or collapse
- describes cyclic nature of sociological systems (growth, accumulation, restructuring, renewal)
OR:
1. Exploitation: phase of rapid expansion (i.e. ecosystem finds its niche)
2. Reorganization: natural selection or change in conditions
3. Conservation: slow accumulation and storage of energy and material; population reaches its carrying capacity and stabilizes for a time
4. Release: rapid decline due to competitor or changed conditions
Adaptive Environmental Management
Adaptive Management: systematic process for continually improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of operational programs
- if projects are successful then things remain the same
- if impacts too great new projects, plans, policies, programs implemented
- each of the three Ps can be viewed as a testable working hypothesis in adaptive environmental management (not so much in adaptive management)
Active AM: experimental comparison of selected policies or practices; achieved by evaluating alternative hypotheses about which system is being managed; attempts to predict shifts within and between systems (used to create more robust system)
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...