Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

The past few decades have seen an increasing demand for environmental information on which to make more informed decisions, strengthened by several international calls for improving available environmental information. In a democratic South Africa, the involvement of people in policy and decision-making processes has led to an even greater need for accessible information. In response to this demand for information, State of the Environment (SOE) reporting has gained momentum and become highly popular in South Africa. This popularity has grown despite the absence of any legal mandate for reporting in South Africa, as well as the lack of formalised institutional arrangements for reporting. The current situation has resulted in a number of challenges for SOE reporting which need to be addressed. These challenges, and appropriate solutions, are discussed. The paper aims to stimulate discussion in the field of SOE reporting, both within South Africa and internationally.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is the process through which the impacts of plans and programmes on the environment are assessed. Objectives, targets and indicators are the tools through which these environmental impacts can be measured. The same objectives, targets and indicators may be used for all planning levels but it is also necessary to identify additional plan specific ones. We used a workshop based approach to provide an interface between planners and environmental scientists and to give examples of objectives, targets and indicators for biodiversity, water, air and climatic factors, which could be used in SEA for national, regional and local plans. In addition, we highlight the need for careful consideration during the selection process of these variables which will result in a more rigorous and robust SEA. This is a challenging process but once completed will maximise resources and reduce the workload later in the SEA process.

This research explores opportunities for organizational learning through participation in environmental assessment (EA). The study examines information sharing, information interpretation, organizational memory and learning outcomes of organizations involved in two concurrent but geographically separate EAs: the Wuskwatim generation station and transmission lines projects (Manitoba) and the Snap Lake project (Northwest Territories). Primary data collection included semi-structured interviews with EA participants, and a review of documentation generated through each EA. Data were analyzed based on criteria derived from organizational learning literature. Findings indicate that organizations have a variety of structures that facilitate learning. Learning outcomes by state actors emphasized "single-loop learning", activities designed to improve performance within the existing EA process. Public actors, however, identified a wider range of outcomes centred on changing the EA process, termed "double-loop learning". These learning outcomes provide invaluable information about strengthening project specific EA, and provide insight into improving resource management.

Environmental issues can only be solved by coherent action at local, national and international levels, therefore understanding of the factors that influence the information exchange process is very important. The subject of investigation in this research is the influence of environmental information provided in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process on the level of knowledge concerning environmental issues in the local community. A survey of public opinion of the environmental impacts of the Port of Koper in Slovenia was performed.

Results show that respondents did not find the EIA presentations effective and received more information from TV, newspapers and radio. The EIA process did not fulfil its' potential, since respondents express the highest trust in expert information, but the effectiveness of the expert part of the presentation is considered to be low, not reaching the media. By improving the presentations effectiveness in the EIA process, further efforts in informing public and employees could theoretically bring the opinions of both groups to a similar level of understanding.

This paper presents a study of the performance of the EIA cell of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Sri Lanka as a Project Approving Agency (PAA) according to the provisions of National Environmental Act (Amended) No. 56 of 1988. The study identifies and analyses efficiencies and failures of the EIA cell of the Ministry approving and monitoring 62 projects from the private sector and 30 projects from public sector in balancing concerns of nature and development. As a result recommendations to augment the capacities and efficiencies of EIA cell in approving and monitoring projects are made with reference to analyzing relevant policies, objectives and perceptions of line institutions and project proponents for balanced development.

This article advances building sustainability theory by relating quality and environmental methodologies to building construction. The sustainability criteria and indicators are first defined and then linked to the integration problem. For designing for sustainability, widely-used methodologies, such as total quality management (TQM), life cycle analysis (LCA), life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA), value-focused thinking (VFT), benchmarking, and others are presented. Key concepts that contribute to sustainable building design and construction are found. These concepts are arranged by construction stages and activities, and the common areas for integration are discussed at the level of specific products and processes as well as at the construction company level.