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Abstract:
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From Introduction:
"Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is one of the indispensable tools of common property resource management. Through its use, policies, plans, programmes and projects that have detrimental impacts on the conservation and sustainable utilisation of common property resources can be identified, reformulated and/or rejected.
"In Southern Africa EIA has been known for many years. The primary purpose of the present study is to document the extent of this knowledge and its effect. In particular, the study shall determine whether EIA has contributed to the preservation and protection of the environment of the region, and whether there is a need for regional EIA coordination. To this end, the present Part covers introductory matters. It considers the origin of EIA, objectives of EIA, history of EIA in the region and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Part 2 will analyse the environments of the States of the region. The aim is to identify common environmental trends that necessitate a coordinated approach in EIA law and practice. Part 3 will critically appraise the EIA legislation and policies of the various States. The critical appraisal will assist in developing threads of effectiveness that will be collected in Part 4 to establish the effectiveness of EIAs in SADC States. In addition Part 4 will complete the picture of regional EIA integration introduced in Part 2, discuss the relevance of SADC in the set-up and comment on the EIA systems established in the European Community Directive 85/337/EEC and in the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context of 1991. Part 5 will summarise previous Parts and append concluding remarks.
"For the most part, the comparative approach will be adopted. Insights from the analysis are expected to play a prominent role in the general enterprise of investigating the need for regional EIA coordination. No empirical studies have been undertaken. This paper is largely based on documentary research."
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