Investigating the Quality of Wildlife and Biodiversity Terms of Reference in Environmental Impact Statements

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

University of Tehran

Abstract

Human activities due to implementation of projects has caused significant concerns on biodiversity in human societies. Hence, assessing the environmental impacts of those projects has been considered as a tool to help environmental managers to prevent emergence of those adverse impacts in general and those impacts which are related to biodiversity, in particular. It is provided that all components of the environment including biodiversityto be considered and integrated into environmental impact assessment process properly.
The present study revealed that Iranian environmental impact assessment guidelines, which has been ratified in 1994 suffers lack of sufficient and effective approach in integrating biodiversity, as has been stated in UN Biodiversity Convention, in its environmental impact assessment process.
In our study, we have applied a quantitative evaluation approach to investigate the quality of 50 environmental impact statements out of more than 1171 which have been ratified by Iran Environmental Protection Agency standpoint of biodiversity. Having analyzed sample-based data, binomial test has been applied for deducting population-based inferences relying on our sampling-based data.
Findings of the present study have indicated that biodiversity-related concerns are properly not addressed in more than half of the environmental impact statements at significance level of 95%. Accordingly, more attention on the biodiversity-related concerns should be paid by EIA practitioners considering the significance of biodiversity in general and wildlife in particular in our national environmental impact assessment system.

Keywords

References

Azizi, S.M et al.,2001. Environment impact assessment and economic Bistoon Kermanshah, Journal of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran, Year 9, Appendix No 44, pp 117.
Bihamta, M., Zare Chahouki, M.A. 2010. Principles of Statistics for the Natural Resources Science, University of Tehran Press,2 nd Edition, 300 p,(In Persian).
World Bank Technical Papers, 2007. Environmental assessment source book Guidelines for Environmental Assessment of Energy, Industry and Sectoral Projects, University of Tehran Press, 584 p, Compiled and Translated by: Madjnoonian, H,. Mirabzadeh, A,. Danesh, M (In Persian).
Department of Engineering and Manufacturing, 2007. Guidelines for Environmental impact assessment of oil and gas pipelines (In Persian).
Dabiri, F., 2005. Check the laws and regulations, including environmental impact assessment in the prevention, Environmental Science and Technology, Volume IX, Number IV, Winter 86. Pp. 95-109.
Fazeli, F,. Rahi, A.R. 2010. Statistical Designs in Biological Sciences, Sahahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, 262 p (In Persian).
Jain, R.K. 2001. Environmental Assessment, McGram Hill, New York.
Kevin F.R.L., Jia-hong, I. 2009. Decision –Support for Environmental Impact Assessment: A Hybrid Approach using Fuzzy Logic and Fuzzy Analytic Network Process. Export Systems with Applications 36: 5119-5136.
Monavari, M,. Navazi, A. 2010.Journal of Environment and Development, The role of EIA on Conservation of Biodiversity, 1, (2): Pp. 95-109 (In Persian).
Morgan, Richard K. 2012. Environmental Impact Assessment: the State of the Art, Departmant of Geography, University of Otago, New Zealand.
Petts, J. 1999. Handbook Environmental Assessment, Vol, 1.Blackwell Science, Oxford.
Richards B. Shepard, A. 2011. Quantitying Environmental Impact Assessments using Fuzzy Logic, Mehrmahdis Press, 305 p, Translated by: Salmanmahiny (In Persian).
Journal of Natural Environment
Volume 68, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
Winter 2016
Pages 573-582

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics