Participatory multi-criteria decision analysis for prioritizing impacts in environmental and social impact assessments

Abstract

Environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) can be an extremely useful tool for identifying and evaluating the repercussions of a wide range of initiatives. Typically when the project and its impacts are highly complex, an ESIA can detect a large number of issues that need to be prioritized so that they can be effectively and efficiently addressed. This article presents a mixed-methodology proposal for impact prioritization in ESIA, divided into four phases: (1) creation of the stakeholders' platform; (2) identification and assessment of impacts; (3) impact categorization; and (4) impact assessment and prioritization using multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). This procedure was applied as an ex-post evaluation of a golf-based tourism project in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Huelva, Spain), but can also potentially be used to conduct ex-ante assessments. The main contribution of the study is in the design and testing of a parsimonious procedure, which condenses a large amount of qualitative information into relatively simple operations using MCDA. The process is grounded in the constructivist social impact assessment (SIA) paradigm through stakeholder evaluation of impacts and criteria.

Incorporating supra-local social structure into social impact assessment using causal network analysis

“…The concept of SLSS in this paper is based on social vulnerability studies (Moser, 1998) and the institutional theory approach (Meyer & Rowan, 1992). Social vulnerability studies stress the role of economic, socio-cultural and political conditions in predisposing and/or increasing the susceptibility of a community to suffering the negative impacts of a natural (Cutter et al, 2003) or anthropogenic threat (Ortiz et al, 2018). Blaikie et al (1994) describe how (1) the production of vulnerability begins in macrosociological root causes, such as ideology, the unequal distribution of power, a particular economic model or the orientation of national economic policies; (2) the root causes materialise in a specific territory through dynamic pressures; and (3) these dynamic pressures are experienced by the local populations in the form of unsafe conditions originating in the socio-structural process of vulnerability production.…”

Risk management options to contrast the introduction of citrus fruit bacterial canker through ornamental Rutaceae in the Mediterranean Basin: An Italian case study

“…They are rooted in operational research and support for individual decisionmakers, but recently the emphasis has shifted towards multistakeholder processes to structure decision-making alternatives and their consequences, to facilitate dialogue on the relative merits of alternative action lines in the field of environmental and social impact assessment [61]. Indeed, the inclusion of stakeholder perspectives in environmental decision-making is a legal requirement in many countries and is widely considered advantageous as it can contribute to increasing the legitimacy of decisions, the probability of implementation and the quality of the results [62,63].…”

A Review of the Quality of Environmental and Social Impact Statements: The Case of Geothermal Energy Projects in Kenya

“…About five decades have elapsed since the emergency, gradual rollout, and progressive global adoption of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) systems now in all countries and jurisdictions (Yang, 2019). Gradual integration and strengthening of social assessment in EIA procedures have resulted in the emergency of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) (Cloquell-Ballester et al, 2006;Corsi et al, 2015;Momtaz & Kabir, 2013;Ortiz et al, 2018). ESIA is increasingly being accepted as a useful tool for identifying and evaluating the effects of a wide range of activities (Ortiz et Al., 2018).…”

“…Gradual integration and strengthening of social assessment in EIA procedures have resulted in the emergency of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) (Cloquell-Ballester et al, 2006;Corsi et al, 2015;Momtaz & Kabir, 2013;Ortiz et al, 2018). ESIA is increasingly being accepted as a useful tool for identifying and evaluating the effects of a wide range of activities (Ortiz et Al., 2018). ESIA therefore is a vital tool that provides for the integration and evaluation of environmental and social concerns of the proposed development Muse 2016).…”