Social Impact Assessment and EIA PDF

Integration of Social Impact Assessment - EIA 1 Need for Social Impact Assessment  Human concerns are the most important environmental concerns  Human response to the factors affecting his/her socio-economic norms is...

Integration of Social Impact Assessment - EIA 1 Need for Social Impact Assessment  Human concerns are the most important environmental concerns  Human response to the factors affecting his/her socio-economic norms is prompt and repulsive.  When majority is satisfied – minority tends to compromise  A stitch in time saves nine Social Impact The International Principles for Social Impact Assessment considers that social impacts include all the issues associated with a planned intervention (i.e. a project) that affect or concern people, whether directly or indirectly. Specifically, a social impact is considered to be something that is experienced or felt in either a perceptual (cognitive) or a corporeal (bodily, physical) sense, at any level. Impacts are therefore the difference between the current and future development of the affected human environment with or without the project. 3 Cont.. Changes in one or more of: People’s livelihood Culture including values and spiritual beliefs Community cohesion, identity or independence Local political system or governance quality Environmental changes that impact on people Levels of health, education and physical well being Human and property rights 4 Social Impact Assessment is not the same as Public Participation 5 SIA vs. Public Participation Involving affected peoples and other stakeholders in the analysis of impacts and in the planning of mitigation and benefit strategies is essential. SIA and Public participation are not synonymous. SIA is a research and analytical process which intends to influence decision making and the management of the social issues. In order to do this effectively, it necessarily requires genuine community engagement – i.e. meaningful interaction and good faith dialogue, with interested parties having a real ability to influence the management of social issues. On the other hand, statutory public participation procedures are typically requirements to inform the public and allow them to 6 have a say about a planned intervention. SIA vs. Public Participation Unfortunately, in most mandated procedures, the process itself is seldom satisfying to most participants, and the so-called participatory process rarely does more than an attempt to legitimate pre-determined outcomes or conform with regulatory requirements. The project managers need to have a genuine commitment to meaningful engagement, not so much to meet any legal requirements, but to respect local communities and provide co- learning opportunities that arrive at useful outcomes and deliver shared value. 7 SIA vs. Public Participation Effective participatory methods and participatory approaches provide many benefits, including: 1. A better understanding of the local values, knowledge and experiences of the different stakeholder groups. 2. An opportunity to validate data. 3. Assist impacted communities understand the planned intervention and its implications, and thus help them in planning for the change and to more easily adapt to and cope with the likely changes. 4. They can help resolve conflicts over resource use. 5. They help win community support for project objectives and for implementation (i.e. a social licence to operate) thus avoiding protest action against the project. 8 Social Impact Assessment 9 Social Impact Assessment The origins of SIA largely derive from the environmental impact assessment (EIA) model, which first emerged in the 1970s in the U.S, as a way to assess the impacts on society of certain development schemes and projects before they go ahead. The process of analyzing (predicting, evaluating and reflecting) and managing the intended and unintended consequences on the human environment of planned interventions (policies, programmes, plans and projects) and any social change processes invoked by those interventions so as to bring about a more sustainable and equitable biophysical and human environment. 10 Social Impact Assessment and EIA Typically, the SIA process follows the iterative steps taken in the EIA process, although with a different emphasis to take account of the impacts on people. Most obvious is the particular type of information gathered for SIA, which can include basic characteristics of the affected population, current issues, political and civic institutions, social structures, cultural traditions and attitudes and socio- psychological attributes. Participatory approach – beginning at the earliest stage and continuing throughout 11 Social Impact Assessment and EIA (Contd..) EIAs often fail to adequately address the full range of social issues or add value to the process, making no real contribution to reducing traditionally high levels of stakeholder anxiety about potential project impacts during the preapproval and construction phases. When it comes to assessing impacts, SIA often needs a different approach from that of EIA. The most effective SIAs set the scale to the project location and link baseline data to geographical context and then to the predicted impacts. 12 Social Impact Assessment and EIA (Contd..) Other elements of SIA process that are distinctive include prediction of impacts in terms of how affected people will respond in attitude and behaviour. As in EIA, SIA practitioners place considerable importance on mitigation, monitoring and impact management. Post project analysis is critical for analysis and management of social impacts. 13 Impact Assessment The SIA identifies, predicts and assesses the significance of project impacts as well as other potential critical social issues identified: The following impacts should be taken into consideration: Direct or indirect impacts occurring at the project site or within the project’s wider area of influence. Impacts within the project’s wider area of influence including transboundary impacts, where relevant; Negative impacts triggered immediately as well as longer term impacts; Cumulative effects that materialize through interaction with other developments at the project site as well as in the wider area of influence. 14 Impact Assessment (Contd..) The key characteristics and variables that are often correlated with adverse social impacts include;  Demographic change o e.g. Size and composition of resident population  Economic change o e.g. New patterns of employment/income  Environmental change o e.g. Alterations to land use, natural habitat  Institutional change o e.g. In the structure of local government or leadership 15 Impact Assessment (Contd..)  The main types of social impact that occur as a result of development project related activities are; Cultural impacts Community impacts Quality of life impacts Health impacts 16 Conclusion Social and biophysical impacts are interconnected and should be assessed together. SIA is understood to be concerned with human consequences of development proposals, identifying all significant social impacts that arise in this context. EIA combined with SIA is an entry point to integrated impact assessment in support of sustainability aims of maintaining natural capital and building human capital. 17 Environment and Safety 19