Furthering Environmental Impact Assessment

Towards a Seamless Connection between EIA and EMS

Edited by Anastássios Perdicoúlis, Engineering Department, UTAD, Portugal and CITTA Research Centre, FEUP, Portugal, Bridget Durning, Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development, Oxford Brookes University, UK and Lisa Palframan, formerly University of Hertfordshire, UK

The environmental impact of development projects is currently studied and mitigated from two distinct perspectives: before and after project implementation, with environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental management systems (EMS) being the main instruments on the respective sides. This double perspective creates a discontinuity in the way environmental impacts are analysed, an issue that has been noted by both academics and practitioners. This book gathers and presents both theoretical and actual examples to link EIA with EMS and explores ways to overcome difficulties and provide innovative solutions.

‘The book is good for practitioners wanting to develop an understanding of the interface between EIA, environmental management plans, environmental management systems and sustainability management. . . Researchers examining EIA follow-up or the environmental management of developments should have ready access to this book, but it also holds value for practitioners in consultancies, contractors and large developers who would like a better understanding of how to manage environmental risk during the design, consenting, construction and operation of EIA developments.’
– Josh Fothergill, The Environmentalist