Essential Components

Although legislation and practice vary around the world, the fundamental components of an EIA would necessarily involve the following stages:

• Screening to determine which projects or developments require a full or partial impact assessment study.
• Scoping to identify which potential impacts are relevant to assess (based on legislative requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public involvement), to identify alternative solutions that avoid, mitigate or compensate adverse impacts on biodiversity (including the option of not proceeding with the development, finding alternative designs or sites which avoid the impacts, incorporating safeguards in the design of the project, or providing compensation for adverse impacts), and ....