Biodiversity in environmental impact assessment

Rajvanshi, Asha; Mathur, Vinod B.; Slootweg, Roel

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139195775.010

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…This relationship continues to guide international aid organizations as strategies for improving the human condition are developed and implemented (United Nations Millennium Project 2005;USAID 2010;WRI 2005WRI , 2008. The link between biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human health is increasingly the focus of research and policy making (Naeem et al 2009a;Osvaldo et al 2009;Ranganathan and Hazlewood 2010;Slootweg et al 2010). This causal relationship is understood as:…”

Section: Human Health and Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ecosystem services are being (or proposed to be) incorporated into environmental impact assessment, mitigation for development impacts, and natural resource damage assessments. One of the implications of the increasing recognition of the link between biodiversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem services is the incorporation of ecosystem service impacts into the environmental impact assessments (EIA) (Slootweg et al 2010). Impacts to biodiversity can be connected with loss of important ecosystem services.…”

Section: Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because the reduction of these services can have very real environmental and social costs, they should be part of the EIA process. Frameworks for incorporating ecosystem services in environmental impact assessment have been developed (Rajvanshi et al 2010). The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has developed recommended changes to the evaluation procedures for water resource projects in the United States, to explicitly consider the impacts to ecosystem service provision as part of the decision-making process (CEQ 2009).…”

Section: Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relevance of Emerging Ecosystem Service Science and Policy to the United States Department of Defense

Keysar¹

2011

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The concept of ecosystem services has been increasingly applied to ensure the benefits from ecosystems are incorporated into decision making. This idea supports sustainability goals by linking natural capital with financial capital. The concept of ecosystem services can assist the United States Department of Defense (DoD) in making natural resources decisions today for improved long-term outcomes. The concept also has strategic planning implications because the military's role continues to evolve along with international security concerns. This report summarizes the latest literature on ecosystem services in science and policy, to describe ways in which emerging applications of this concept may impact military planning and policy. The report's four sections provide an overview of the concept of ecosystem services and its recent adoption by major science and policy stakeholders; reviews of some recent applications of the concept; links of these applications to military activities; and recommendations and conclusions. The study concludes the DoD needs to (1) successfully engage with stakeholders on conservation issues; (2) use new tools and data sources in decision making; and (3) prepare for new regulatory requirements. The DoD should move forward with institutionalizing the concept of ecosystem services through additional research, engagement, training, and outreach. DISCLAIMER: The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising, publication, or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial products. All product names and trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners. The findings of this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents.

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Section: Human Health and Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relevance of Emerging Ecosystem Service Science and Policy to the United States Department of Defense

Keysar¹

2011

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“…In Great Britain (GB), environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and strategic environmental assessments (SEAs) are currently used to predict the environmental consequences of changes in land use on potential development sites (Slootweg & Kolhoff 2003;Kolhoff et al 2009). Major shortfalls of these assessments include the low priority given to biodiversity generally, and the focus on a small subset of priority species and habitats (Treweek 2001;Rajvanshi, Mathur & Slootweg 2009). Biodiversity is typically assessed using threatened species, threatened habitats and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as indicators of ecological status, for example using the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP; Joint Nature Conservation Committee 2012) which defined priority species and priority habitats in GB up to 2010, before these lists became devolved to separate countries (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a biodiversity‐based indicator for large‐scale environmental assessment: a case study of proposed shale gas extraction sites in Britain

Dyer

Gillings

Pywell

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. Environmental impact assessments are important tools for predicting the consequences of development and changes in land use. These assessments generally use a small subset of total biodiversity -typically rare and threatened species and habitats -as indicators of ecological status. However, these indicators do not necessarily reflect changes in the many more widespread (but increasingly threatened) species, which are important for ecosystem functions. In addition, assessment of threatened species through field surveys is time-consuming and expensive and, therefore, only possible at small spatial scales. In contrast, planning changes in land use over large spatial scales (e.g. national infrastructure projects) require assessment and prioritization of biodiversity over large spatial extents. 2. Here, we provide a method for the assessment of biodiversity, which takes account of species diversity across larger spatial scales, based on occurrence records from 5553 species across 11 taxonomic groups. We compare the efficacy of the biodiversity-based indicator we developed against one based on threatened species only and then use it to consider spatial and temporal patterns in ecological status across Great Britain. Finally, we develop a case study to investigate biodiversity status in regions proposed for shale gas extraction in Great Britain. 3. Our results show a strong relationship between the ecological status of areas defined by all biodiversity versus only threatened species, although they also demonstrate that significant exceptions do exist where threatened species do not always accurately indicate the ecological status of wider biodiversity. 4. Spatial and temporal analyses show large variation in ecological status across Great Britain both within the area made available for shale gas licensing and within individual environmental zones. In total, however, 63% of hectads across Britain have suffered a net reduction in our biodiversity-based indicator since 1970. 5. Synthesis and applications. We provide a method and develop a biodiversity-based indicator for the assessment and prioritization of biodiversity at large spatial scales. We highlight the potential applications of this approach for the prioritization of areas that would benefit from conservation and restoration. We also emphasize the danger of insufficient consideration of more widespread species and not just rare and threatened species and habitats as indicators of ecological status when prioritizing large-scale national infrastructure projects. Our method should be a useful tool to complement existing environmental impact assessment methods.

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“…In addition, reviews note that the failure to recognize biodiversity conservation as a key development issue leads to a failure of impact assessment in delivering win-win outcomes for conservation and human wellbeing (e.g. Rajvanshi et al, 2010). In many (if not most) instances, some reduction of negative impacts on biodiversity has been seen as sufficient mitigation effort; residual negative impacts are seldom compensated or offset (e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

Maximizing benefits for biodiversity: the potential of enhancement strategies in impact assessment

Rajvanshi

Brownlie

Slootweg

et al. 2011

Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal

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Our demands on natural systems outweigh the capacity of those systems to support us. This paper calls for an approach to development that consistently delivers 'net benefit' for biodiversity or 'ecological enhancement'. Examples of enhancement are presented through four case studies in India undertaken between 2005 and 2010. Actions focus on improving the overall ecological structure, composition and functions of sites; strengthening ecological networks by creating new habitats and buffer areas; and improving the services provided by the ecosystems, without jeopardizing biodiversity. While recognizing the importance of quantitative metrics of impacts and mitigation measures to determine outcomes, such measures were not available in these cases; enhancement is evaluated primarily in relation to pre-project conditions. The paper emphasizes the importance of considering alternatives that satisfy the mitigation hierarchy, and proposes a number of criteria for evaluating ecological enhancement.

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Biodiversity in environmental impact assessment

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Relevance of Emerging Ecosystem Service Science and Policy to the United States Department of Defense

Relevance of Emerging Ecosystem Service Science and Policy to the United States Department of Defense

Developing a biodiversity‐based indicator for large‐scale environmental assessment: a case study of proposed shale gas extraction sites in Britain

Maximizing benefits for biodiversity: the potential of enhancement strategies in impact assessment

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