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Examples of how site boundaries could be modified to exclude or favour certain outcomes in environmental impact assessment (EIA) and cumulative effects assessment (CEA). Results show ensuing differences in the number and type of development detected at each site. For example, a CEA at Site 3 would discern only two forest cut blocks when using a 2.5 km radius, compared with five active forest cut blocks and 19 contaminated sites using a 5 km radius; thus drastically changing the environmental effects and impacts included in the assessment. Figure based on three random EIA reviews in the pre-application stage (Data BC website: data.gov.bc.ca/) as of June 2017.
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The outcomes of environmental impact assessment (EIA) influence millions of hectares of land and can be a contentious process. A vital aspect of an EIA process is consideration of the accumulation of impacts from multiple activities and stressors through a cumulative effects assessment (CEA). An opportunity exists to improve the rigor and utility o...
Citations
... These studies address soil compaction, impacts on air, soil and water quality, ergonomic issues, the relationship between the local community and forestry production activities and, mainly, the operational performance of the machines used in forestry operations. However, there is a lack of studies focused on the comprehensive management of environmental impacts, considering integrated planning and monitoring that consider the complexity of anthropic, biotic and abiotic variables [1,4,14,16,24]. ...
The advancement of mechanization in forestry has increased productivity in the forestry sector, bringing positive and negative impacts that require a deeper understanding for sustainable forest management. This study aimed to apply a simplified instrument for assessing damage and environmental impacts in forest harvesting of commercial eucalyptus plantations, using a combination of methodologies. The methodology used combined interaction networks and impact assessment matrices, carrying out field surveys, transposing them to interaction networks and weighting them through assessment matrices, resulting in environmental indices (ES) for prioritizing actions. The study was conducted on a commercial eucalyptus plantation in the municipality of São Pedro, São Paulo, Brazil. The mechanized harvesting of the area consists of the structure of a module with a mobile unit consisting of a harvester and forwarder. The results indicated that wood transport presented the highest ES, both positive and negative. The most significant negative impacts (ES) were the depletion of water resources and erosion, while the positive impacts included regional development and job creation. The most notable changes, positive and negative, were observed in the physical and anthropic environment, with a lesser impact on the biotic environment.
... The EIA aims to detect the environmental impacts resulting from the enterprise on the biotic, physical, social and economic environment, in addition to allowing strategic decision-making in the short and long term [15]. The AIA methodology, in addition to being seen as a tool to prevent adverse effects, also to assist and guide decision-making so that when planning the installation of new projects it is possible to explore the possibilities of environmental intervention in a sustainable way [16]. ...
... The positive impacts with the highest ES were regional development (ES= 36, anthropic environment) and job creation (ES= 24, anthropic environment). 15 Furthermore, among the activities that make up forest harvesting, transportation is the one that takes the most time and planning, mainly due to logistical costs in Brazil (transportation is by road) [31,32]. ...
... These studies address soil compaction, impacts on air, soil and water quality, ergonomic issues, the relationship between the local community and forestry production activities and, mainly, the operational performance of the machines used in forestry operations. However, there is a lack of studies focused on the comprehensive management of environmental impacts, considering integrated planning and monitoring that consider the complexity of anthropic, biotic and abiotic variables [1,4,15,17,25]. ...
The advancement of mechanization in forestry has increased productivity in the forestry sector, bringing positive and negative impacts that require a deeper understanding for sustainable forest management. This study aimed to apply a simplified instrument for assessing damage and environmental impacts in forest harvesting of commercial eucalyptus plantations, using a combination of methodologies. The methodology used combined interaction networks and impact assessment matrices, carrying out field surveys, transposing them to interaction networks and weighting them through assessment matrices, resulting in environmental indices (ES) for prioritizing actions. The study was conducted on a commercial eucalyptus plantation in the municipality of São Pedro, São Paulo, Brazil. The mechanized harvesting of the area consists of the structure of a module with a mobile unit consisting of a harvester and forwarder. The results indicated that wood transport presented the highest ES, both positive and negative. The most significant negative impacts (ES) were the depletion of water resources and erosion, while the positive impacts included regional development and job creation. The most notable changes, positive and negative, were observed in the physical and anthropic environment, with a lesser impact on the biotic environment.
... The EIA aims to detect the environmental impacts resulting from the enterprise on the biotic, physical, social and economic environment, in addition to allowing strategic decision-making in the short and long term [15]. The AIA methodology, in addition to being seen as a tool to prevent adverse effects, also to assist and guide decision-making so that when planning the installation of new projects it is possible to explore the possibilities of environmental intervention in a sustainable way [16]. ...
... Research carried out in the last decade on mechanized wood harvesting in natural forests in the Amazon, with adequate planning, concludes that a rigorously planned and executed forest harvesting with rigorous technical criteria not only minimizes environmental impacts in the physical, 15 biotic and anthropic environments, but also significantly reduces the total costs of wood harvesting [32,33]. ...
... These studies address soil compaction, impacts on air, soil and water quality, ergonomic issues, the relationship between the local community and forestry production activities and, mainly, the operational performance of the machines used in forestry operations. However, there is a lack of studies focused on the comprehensive management of environmental impacts, considering integrated planning and monitoring that consider the complexity of anthropic, biotic and abiotic variables [1,4,15,17,25]. ...
The advancement of mechanization in forestry has bolstered productivity within the sector while simultaneously precipitating impacts necessitating deeper comprehension for the attainment of heightened levels of environmental sustainability in forestry management. The aim of this study was to apply an instrument for assessing the environmental damage and impacts of forest harvesting in commercial Eucalyptus plantations, based on a combination of methodologies. The environmental impact assessment methodology for forest harvesting was applied by combining interaction network approaches and impact assessment matrices. This methodology was then applied to a commercial Eucalyptus plantation in the municipality of São Pedro, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The results show that timber transportation activities had the highest positive and negative environmental indices. The most significant negative impacts refer to the depletion of water resources and erosion, while the positive impacts are regional development and job creation. The most significant changes, both positive and negative, were observed in a greater number of environmental impacts for the physical and anthropic environment, with fewer for the biotic environment. The combination of methodologies has potential as an expedient tool for planning forestry operations, providing practical results for decision-making, making production more sustainable and applicable to different crops and production systems.
... Cumulative impact assessments apply at different ecological scales; species (Marcotte et al., 2015), communities (Giakoumi et al., 2015), and also at the landscape level (Harker et al., 2021), integrating history and space, temporal scales such as habitat connectivity (Tarabon et al., 2019) and network analysis to detect changes (Harvey and Altermatt, 2019). ...
... Opportunities also exist to incorporate the principles and tools of landscape ecology, select appropriate spatial and temporal scales for these analyses, and provide tools to inform decisions (Harker et al., 2021). ...
... Hypothetical pathways followed by cumulative e ects from human activities on the ecological components of the system [Modified from Hodgson et al. ( )].marine and coastal environments(Micheli et al., 2013;Singh et al., 2019;Harker et al., 2021). ...
... Another important challenge is the choice of appropriate scales for assessment and mitigation. Fragmentation is a landscape-scale process (Fahrig et al. 2019), yet landscape-scale effects are regularly neglected in EIAs of individual projects, which leads to failure at assessing population-level implications and the adequate extent of application of mitigation measures (Karlson et al. 2014;Tarabon et al. 2019;Bergès et al. 2020;Harker et al. 2021). It is crucial to understand and maintain connectivity at a variety of spatial scales that reflect the movement needs of different species (Hilty et al. 2020;Jaeger and Torres 2021). ...
... Cumulative impact assessments apply at different ecological scales; species (Marcotte et al., 2015), communities (Giakoumi et al., 2015), and also at the landscape level (Harker et al., 2021), integrating history and space, temporal scales such as habitat connectivity (Tarabon et al., 2019) and network analysis to detect changes (Harvey and Altermatt, 2019). ...
... Opportunities also exist to incorporate the principles and tools of landscape ecology, select appropriate spatial and temporal scales for these analyses, and provide tools to inform decisions (Harker et al., 2021). ...
... Hypothetical pathways followed by cumulative e ects from human activities on the ecological components of the system [Modified from Hodgson et al. ( )].marine and coastal environments(Micheli et al., 2013;Singh et al., 2019;Harker et al., 2021). ...
Natural and human-induced hazards and climatic risks threaten marine and coastal ecosystems worldwide, with severe consequences for these socio-ecological systems. Therefore, assessing climate vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity) and the cumulative environmental impacts of multiple hazards are essential in coastal planning and management. In this article, we review some approaches used in climate vulnerability assessment and marine and coastal cumulative environmental impacts to learn about state-of-the-art on the subject. Besides, we qualitatively evaluated the climatic vulnerability of five coastal regions of Venezuela using the IPCC concept of Reasons for Concern (RFCs) to determine their level of climatic exposure. We also assessed the cumulative environmental impact of multiple stressors on marine and terrestrial ecosystems using a well-known impact assessment method partially modified to explore the feasibility of this model in data-poor areas. However, we found no standardization of the methodologies used in evaluating Coastal Climate Vulnerability or Cumulative Environmental Impacts in coastal landscapes or frameworks that operationally link them with socio-ecological systems. Most studied coastal regions are at risk from at least three RFCs, loss of unique ecosystems (RFC1), risks associated with extreme events (RFC2) and risks associated with global aggregate impacts (RFC4). Furthermore, the assessment showed that areas with accumulated impact cover about 10 percent ranging from moderate to high in urban areas, growth zones, industrial oil settlements, port areas and aquaculture areas with fishing activity. Moreover, areas with moderate to low cumulative impact cover half of the study area, dominated by uninhabited regions and vegetation of the thorny scrub and coastal grassland types. Therefore, we consider it essential to implement regional climate risk management that incorporates these assessments into the ordinance in countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, such as Venezuela, which has an extensive line of low-lying coastlines (where 60% of the country's population lives) and coastal regions with harsh climates and poor economic conditions. Finally, we present the scope and limitations of implementing these evaluations and highlight the importance of incorporating them into regional strategies for adaptation to climate change.
... The range of methods used to measure habitat connectivity has steadily increased in recent decades (Hilty et al. 2020), reflecting the importance of landscape-scale connectivity for biodiversity. But despite a growing recognition of this in conservation practice, law, and policy, environmental planning and permitting decisions generally continue to be made at the scale of individual infrastructure and development projects (Hilty et al. 2020;Harker et al. 2021). This is often in the context of environmental impact assessments (EIA), a process that emerged in the 1970s to assess potential environmental implications of proposed actions, ranging from policies to projects (Morgan 2012). ...
... Without effectively incorporating habitat connectivity in EIA, mitigation for the avoidance and reduction of negative biodiversity impacts fail to consider population-level implications or the extent to which remaining or compensatory habitats will be ecologically functional (Harker et al. 2021). This can contribute to unanticipated long-term effects on species in the project area, as well as cumulative effects from multiple projects within the wider landscape. ...
... It is increasingly adopted as a requirement of international finance institutions and national governments (IFC 2012; UK Parliament 2021). Truly achieving a net gain is complex, with an urgent need for planning decisions to account for landscape-scale processes (Bergès et al. 2020;Harker et al. 2021). However, attempts to incorporate connectivity in the UK's Biodiversity Metric for BNG have proven challenging (Natural England 2020). ...
Ecological connectivity across landscapes is vital for the maintenance of biodiversity and the processes that enable life on earth. Despite this, environmental planning decisions are usually made at the scale of individual projects, failing to account for landscape-scale impacts. Incorporating habitat connectivity analysis in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) could provide an opportunity to address this gap. We present a novel approach to model habitat connectivity in an EIA undertaken for the Heathrow Third Runway Expansion Project, a proposed development in southeast England. Drawing on field data, remote sensing, and species-specific literature reviews, a circuit theory approach was used to assess functional connectivity across the project landscape for grass snakes Natrix helvetica and soprano pipis-trelles Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Results indicated key areas for species movement and potential 'pinch-points' vulnerable to development impacts. We discuss lessons learnt, potential applications to inform impact assessment, mitigation design, and biodiversity net gain approaches, and further work required to mainstream connectivity analyses in EIA and decision-making. ARTICLE HISTORY
... Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) could be the framework for this task with analyses of ecological connectivity at multiple scales and in multiple tiers (Cumming and Tavares 2022). As even a small and localized project can disrupt regional connectivity, the EIA process should consider the additive and synergic impacts from multiple activities and stressors through a cumulative effect assessment (Harker et al., 2021). If well conducted, SEA could rise recommendations at a regional and strategic level, allowing the minimization of impacts of development projects on biodiversity (Whitehead et al. 2017). ...
Road networks affect ecological connectivity, which has implications across different levels of biological organization. There are compelling reasons and sufficient approaches and tools to mainstream ecological connectivity into environmental impact assessments (EIAs) of road projects. In this letter, we discuss ways of overcoming the existing gaps and obstacles in the consideration of connectivity loss in EIAs and how to improve mitigation. The selection of target species, shifting from single to multispecies approaches, and the evaluation of scale optimization are challenges that need to be overcome. We also discuss that the mitigation hierarchy, no net loss targets, and the principles of adaptive management should be applied to increase the effectiveness of mitigation measures. We propose to increase the cooperation between stakeholders and practitioners to enhance co-production and build capacity to conduct evidence-based EIAs for assessing ecological connectivity. Finally, we identify directions for future research that can contribute to integrating connectivity into EIA practice.
... Recognition that CEA should extend beyond the limits of any single project has shifted philosophy and methodology toward regional and strategic level assessments. A focused effort on scaling up monitoring and analysis to ecologically significant boundaries, for instance the watershed scale, has helped to advance the technical and scientific capacities required to understand impacts over broad spatial and temporal scales (Ball et al. 2013;Dubé et al. 2013;Harker et al. 2021). While the consistent application of such regional and strategic approaches and effective "tiering" between levels of assessment remain a challenge (Chilima et al. 2017;White and Noble 2013), there is broad acceptance that for biophysical impacts and environmental components ecologically driven, and often regional, spatial scales are necessary for CEA. ...
Cumulative effects assessments are often expected to include an analysis of cumulative social effects to people, their communities, and livelihoods caused by resource development projects and land use activities. Understanding cumulative social effects is important for decisions about prospective resource development projects, but there has been limited attention devoted to how to complete such an assessment. This paper critically examines how cumulative effects frameworks are applied to social impacts during environmental assessments. We do this by analyzing semi-structured interviews exploring practitioner experience in environmental assessments for hydroelectric development in British Columbia and Manitoba, Canada. The results provide a conceptual framework for cumulative social effects and illustrate how identified challenges for cumulative effects assessment are exacerbated by social impacts that introduce additional complexities in impact identification, assessment, and decision-making. The paper concludes with a discussion of how these challenges can be addressed and recommendations for improving environmental assessment practice.
... Domestic and International examples from other biota, such as Natura 2000 in Europe (Harker et al., 2021) and the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (nabci.net) might also provide insight into landscape planning that could be modified for aquatic purposes, and also synergies that might exist with existing initiatives that are also using geospatial planning. ...
Foreword This series documents the scientific basis for the evaluation of aquatic resources and ecosystems in Canada. As such, it addresses the issues of the day in the time frames required and the documents it contains are not intended as definitive statements on the subjects addressed but rather as progress reports on ongoing investigations.
