Series0 Overview
Series0 Overview
Series0 Overview
Overview of
Integrated
Environmental Management
0 D ep artmen t o f
En vi ro n m en tal A ffai rs an d To u ri sm
Ov e rv ie w o f IE M
Other topics in the series of overview information documents on the concepts of, and approaches to, integrated environmental
management are listed below. Further titles in this series are being prepared and will be made available periodically. Sequence
of release and titles are subject to change.
ISSUED BY
PLEASE NOTE: This document is intended as an information source and cannot take the place of legal advice in a specific situation
governed by legislation. The document is not a guideline document, but serves as a reference and supportive text. This document will
not take the place of official guidelines and regulations published by DEAT.
COPYRIGHT Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism 2004. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This document is copyright under the Berne Convention. Apart from the purpose of private study, research or teaching, in terms of
the Copyright Act (Act No. 98 of 1978) no part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from DEAT. Likewise, it may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding
or cover other than that in which it is published.
REFERENCING
ISBN 0-9584728-1-5
PREFACE
This document is one of a series of overview information documents on the concepts of, and approaches to, integrated environmental
management (IEM). IEM is a key instrument of South Africa's National Environmental Management Act (NEMA). South Africa's NEMA
promotes the integrated environmental management of activities that may have a significant effect (positive and negative) on the
environment. IEM provides the overarching framework for the integration of environmental assessment and management principles
into environmental decision-making. It includes the use of several environmental assessment and management tools that are appropriate
for the various levels of decision-making.
The aim of this document series is to provide general information on techniques, tools and processes for environmental assessment
and management. The material in this document draws upon experience and knowledge from South African practitioners and authorities,
and published literature on international best practice.
page 1
This document is aimed at a broad readership, which includes government authorities (who are responsible for reviewing and commenting
on environmental reports and interacting in environmental processes), environmental professionals (who undertake or are involved in
environmental assessments as part of their professional practice), academics (who are interested in and active in the environmental
assessment field from a research, teaching and training perspective), non-government organisations (NGOs) and interested persons.
It is envisaged that this document will also be of interest to practitioners, government authorities and academics from around the
world.
This document has been designed for use in a South African context and it cannot reflect all the specific requirements, practice and
procedures of environmental assessment in other countries.
This series of documents is not meant to encompass every possible concept, consideration, issue or process in the range of environmental
assessment and management tools. Proper use of this series of documents is as a generic reference, with the understanding that it
will be revised and supplemented by detailed guideline documents.
The opinions expressed and conclusions drawn are those of the authors and are not necessarily the official view of the publisher, the
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The author and publisher make no representation or warranty, expressed or implied,
as to the completeness, correctness or utility of the information in this publication. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that
the information contained herein is accurate, the author and publisher assume no liability of any kind whatsoever resulting from the
use or reliance upon the contents of this publication.
Note
All sources used have been acknowledged by means of complete references.
Principal Authors Paul Lochner, Alex Weaver, Shamini Naidu and Chantal Will (CSIR)
Project Co-ordinators Anben Pillay (DEAT) and Nigel Rossouw (CSIR)
Editorial Review Pat Morant, Nigel Rossouw (CSIR) and Anben Pillay (DEAT)
Peer Review Johan Nel (Centre for Environmental Management, North West University)
Peter Tarr and Peter Croal (Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment)
Departmental Review Mark Gordon, Danie Smit and Coenrad Agenbach (DEAT)
SUMMARY
This document describes the concepts, principles and tools of environmental impacts and aspects associated with each
Integrated Environmental Management (IEM). The purpose of the stage of the activity life cycle, taking into consideration a
document is to inform all stakeholders who are involved in making broad definition of environment and with the overall aim
decisions that could have an impact on the environment about the of promoting sustainable development.
range of tools available to align their endeavours with the principles
of sustainable development. It should be noted that this document Based on a review and synthesis of a wide range of relevant
is not intended as a detailed users guide, but rather to convey the principles for environmental policy and environmental assessment
overall framework for integrated environmental management. and management world-wide, a set of 19 principles are proposed
for IEM in South Africa. In order to realise these principles, the
The evolution of integrated environmental management in South user needs to carefully select and combine a suite of tools. These
Africa built onto international experience in environmental policy tools can be used in sequence and in parallel. The choice of tools
and the application of environmental assessment and management is informed by the needs expressed by stakeholders and decision-
tools. An overview is provided of the emergence of environmental makers, the hierarchy of activity being undertaken (e.g. project,
assessment and management globally, followed by a summary of plan or policy) and the stage of the activity life cycle (e.g.
the development of IEM in South Africa. Based on this review, it is planning, design, establishment, operations or closure). This
recognized that the globally applied term environmental assessment document provides a summary of the more commonly used IEM
and management is comparable with the South African term tools.
integrated environmental management.
In conclusion, it is recognised that Integrated Environmental
IEM is shown to have evolved to be an underlying philosophy and Management provides a set of underpinning principles and a suite
set of principles, supported by a range of environmental assessment of environmental assessment and management tools that are
and management tools that are aimed at promoting sustainability. aimed at promoting sustainable development. Many of these tools,
IEM has moved away from being defined in terms of particular such as Environmental Impact Assessment, are well developed
processes. Rather, it provides a way of thinking that can either and mandatory world-wide. Other tools, such as Sustainability
be used to underpin a stand-alone process (e.g. EIA) or be integrated Analysis, are still in an emergent stage. With this suite of tools,
into existing complementary processes (e.g. integrated development IEM has the potential to play a major role in the imperative of
planning). guiding all sectors of society along a pathway to sustainability.
Initially, IEM in South Africa was associated with authorisations of Meeting the many challenges South Africa faces in achieving the
controlled activities. As IEM has evolved, a broader perspective goal of sustainable development requires co-operation between
has emerged. This views IEM as an underlying philosophy and suite all spheres of government, community-based organisations, non-
of tools that can be infused into decision-making by all sectors of governmental organisations, researchers and academics, business
society (e.g. government/public sector, private sector and civil and environmental practitioners.
society).
Constructive interactions between all of these stakeholders in
Based on a review of the evolution of IEM, the following definition the spirit of continual improvement will ensure that the country
is compiled to reflect current views: continues to play a leading role in developing and implementing
IEM provides an holistic framework that can be embraced by innovative approaches to IEM.
all sectors of society for the assessment and management of
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CONTENTS
Summary 2
Contents 3
1. INTRODUCTION 4
9. CONCLUSIONS 16
10. REFERENCES 17
11. GLOSSARY 18
BOXES
Box 1: Key definitions and understandings set the context for this document 4
Box 2: Relevant definitions of sustainable development 5
Box 3: Environmental rights of people in the South African Bill of Rights 5
TABLES
Table 1: Key features of environmental assessment and management tools from the 1970s to the present 7
Table 2. Examples of IEM tools 11
FIGURES
Figure 1: Relationship between IEM tools, and complementary processes and supporting disciplines 10
Figure 2: Commonly used tools in the IEM toolbox 15
Figure 3: Example of a hierarchy of selected IEM tools in relationship to a typical development cycle 15
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1. INTRODUCTION
The concept of Integrated Environmental Management This document does not attempt to propose a new set of
(IEM) has been promoted in South Africa since the late IEM principles and tools, but rather to synthesize and
1980s. In 1992, IEM was widely communicated via the present a summary of principles and tools based on
release of the Integrated Environmental Management international examples and past experience with the
Guidelines Series - a series of six documents published by implementation of IEM tools. Links are made to the other
the Department of Environment Affairs (DEA, 1992). documents in this IEM information series published by
Although the underpinning principles and concepts DEAT, which provide further information on many of the
articulated in these documents have generally been well tools that are used in effective integrated environmental
accepted and become an integral part of environmental management. Key definitions that set the context for IEM
assessment and management in South Africa, the need has are provided in Box 1.
emerged for an updated synthesis of current thinking on
IEM. 3. OBJECTIVES AND CONTEXT OF IEM
2. PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT IEM provides a suite of principles and tools to guide South
Africa on a path to sustainable development. Although
This document describes the concepts, principles and tools there are numerous and varied definitions of the term
of Integrated Environmental Management. The purpose of sustainable development, the common elements include
the document is to inform all stakeholders who are involved the need to integrate social, economic and environmental
in making decisions that could have an impact on the features as well as to address intra- and inter-generational
environment about the range of tools available to align equity (Box 2). The Southern African Development
their endeavours with the principles of sustainable Communitys goals for sustainable development (Box 2)
development. It should be noted that this document is not emphasize the importance of a people-centred approach
intended as a detailed users guide, but rather to convey in the context of developing countries.
the overall framework for integrated environmental
management. For more detail on the specific tools referred This shift in emphasis was echoed in the outcomes of the
to in this document, the reader is referred to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held
complementary documents in the Integrated Environmental in Johannesburg in 2002 (United Nations, 2002).
Management Information Series published by the Department Furthermore, the fundamental principles of sustainable
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT). development are entrenched in the Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Box 3).
The document is structured by firstly providing an historical
overview of the emergence of environmental assessment
and management globally, leading into a summary of the
growth of the South African form of environmental
assessment and management, called Integrated
Environmental Management (IEM). A synthesis of IEM
principles and tools is provided, and a conceptual model
that provides an organisational framework for understanding
when and where to utilise these tools is proposed. In its
original form, the term IEM was used in South Africa to
describe a particular procedure. Today the term is used
more in its literal sense and applied in a wide range of
circumstances, underpinned by a set of principles and
supported by a suite of tools.
Box 1: Key definitions and understandings that set the context for this document
* Definition of stakeholders: IEM can apply to all stakeholders with the term
stakeholders including government authorities, the proponent and interested and
affected parties (I&APs). I&APs could include environmental practitioners, academics,
non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs) and
business.
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Global
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their needs and aspirations.
Regional
The sustainable development goals of the Southern African Development Community (SADC, 1996) are to:
National
The South African National Environmental Management Act (NEMA, Act 107 of 1998) defines sustainable
development as follows (section 1(1)(xxix)):
Sustainable development means the integration of social, economic and environmental factors into
planning, implementation and decision-making so as to ensure that development serves present and
future generations.
In terms of Section 24 (a) of the Bill of Rights in the South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996), everyone
has the right:
(b) to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable
legislative and other measures that -
* secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable
economic and social development.
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4. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF INTEGRATED
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
The evolution of integrated environmental management thus proceeded quite differently than in Western countries
in South Africa built onto international experience in where EIA originated.
environmental policy and the application of environmental
assessment and management tools. This section provides In Western countries, EIA was borne from demands by the
an overview of the emergence of environmental assessment general population and was thus a bottom-up initiative.
and management globally, with key evolutionary features In the developing world, environmental assessment
summarised in Table 1. This is followed by an overview of requirements started being institutionalised either in
the development of IEM in South Africa, recognizing that national policy or via the policies of funding and
the globally applied term environmental assessment and international agencies such as the World Bank as a result
management is comparable with the South African term of international pressures to respond to environmental
integrated environmental management. problems (Boyle, 1998). There is, therefore, less widespread
acceptance of tools like EIA by the general public in
4.1 Global evolution of environmental assessment developing countries, where it is often seen as an additional
and management cost and a hindrance to development rather than an aid
(Weaver, 2003).
4.1.1 The first decade: origins in the USA
4.1.3 The third decade: emergence of sustainable
The promulgation of the National Environmental Policy Act development as a global concept
of 1970 (NEPA) in the United States is recognized worldwide
as the event that saw the formalisation of the first tool During the late 1980s to early 1990s, two initiatives of
for environmental management, i.e. environmental impact global significance pushed the concept of sustainable
assessment (EIA). One of the primary aims of NEPA was to development on centre stage. These were: (i) the publishing
support decision-making by identifying and investigating of Our Common Future (WCED, 1987) which concluded
the environmental consequences of a proposed activity, that a rapid deterioration of the global environment was
with the main implementation instrument of NEPA being threatening life on earth and that decisive political action
EIA. was needed; and (ii) the holding of the 1992 United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development, commonly
NEPA reflected a fundamental change from an economic known as the Rio Earth Summit (UNCED, 1992).
expansionist view of a world with open frontiers and
unlimited resources; to the realisation that supply of These and other events during the 1990s heralded an
natural resources was finite. It also reflected a change increased awareness of the global implications of
from a narrow focus on the technical, engineering and unsustainable development on human well-being in both
financial requirements of activities; to recognition of the developed and developing countries. This led to attention
environmental (i.e. ecological) consequences of human being focused on the role of environmental assessment
actions. and management approaches to reverse this trend. New
tools that were developed to meet this challenge include
During this first decade of EIA, several well-defined and Strategic Environment Assessment (which is aimed at
pragmatic methods were developed. In order to deal with including environmental considerations earlier in the
the recognised complexity of environmental systems, the process of formulating policies, plans and programmes)
environment was fragmented into discrete components in and environmental justice (which is aimed at promoting
order to assess specific impacts of actions - such as impacts the fair and equitable distribution of environmental goods,
on air, impacts on water and impacts on soils (Weaver et services and resources).
al, 1999). In retrospect, environmental assessment is
claimed to have been one of the most successful policy The publication of the Key Outcomes and Commitments
innovations of the 20th century (Bartlett, 1988) and provided of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
the first widely applied method in a suite of rapidly held in Johannesburg in 2002 gave formal recognition to
developing tools for environmental assessment and the role of environmental assessment in driving sustainable
management. development. For example, this recognition is reflected
in chapter 3 on Patterns of consumption and production;
4.1.2 The second decade: enhancement of the social in chapter 4 on Protecting the natural resource base; in
dimension of environmental assessment chapter 8 on Sustainable development for Africa; and in
chapter 9 on Means of implementation (United Nations,
The 1980s saw an emphasis on effective stakeholder 2002).
engagement and the infusion of conflict resolution into
the EIA process. Linked to this was the identification and
integration of social issues and societal values into EIA.
The 1980s also saw the identification of scoping as a method
to identify and focus the EIA on key environmental issues.
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Ov e rv i e w of I E M
Table 1: Key features of environmental assessment and management tools from the 1970s to the present
EIA discipline established & well- Improved stakeholder engagement Evolution of new tools to address
defined methods developed in the process wider political and sustainability
issues (e.g. Strategic Environmental
Assessment)
South Africa was slow to develop and institute formal Although South Africa has a proud history of voluntary EIA
procedures for environmental assessment. It was only with practice dating back to the 1970s, it was only in September
the enactment of the Environment Conservation Act (Act 1997 that the government gazetted regulations enforcing
73 of 1989) that provision was made to determine EIA, in terms of the Environment Conservation Act (Act 73
environmental policy to guide decision-making and to of 1998). The publication of the National Environmental
prepare environmental impact reports (Sowman et al, Management Act(Act 107 of 1998)(NEMA) followed shortly
1995). thereafter. This Act provides the framework for co-operative
environmental governance in South Africa and promotes
The publication of a document entitled Integrated the application of environmental assessment and
Environmental Management in South Africa (Council for management tools to ensure integrated environmental
the Environment, 1989) marked the introduction of this management of activities (chapter 5, section 23(1)).
concept to South Africa. The term IEM was chosen to Section 23 of this Act provides the general objectives of
indicate a general approach that integrates environmental integrated environmental management; whereafter Section
considerations across all stages of the planning and 24 outlines what procedures must be implemented in order
development cycle and would be applicable to policies, to achieve these objectives.
programmes, plans and projects (Sowman et al, 1995). It
was felt that the term EIA was inappropriate because of The South African national Department of Environmental
connotations of being anti-development and being associated Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) is actively promoting integrated
with legal conflicts and costly delays. It was recognized environmental management. This is being achieved through
that, to be effective, the approach to environmental the development and implementation of environmental
evaluation in South Africa would need to be flexible, policy and legislation; as well as training, communications
generally applicable, widely accepted and practical to and awareness programmes such as the information series
implement (Sowman et al, 1995). A revised IEM procedure of which this document forms a part.
and a series of guideline documents was published by the
Department of Environment Affairs (1992). These documents In summary, this section on the evolution of IEM in South
have been used extensively, in particular through providing Africa has shown that during the 1990s the philosophy of
a set of twelve principles that underpin the IEM philosophy IEM became well rooted in South African thinking. However,
for South Africa. the implementation of IEM was largely focused on one
tool, i.e. environmental impact assessment, that focused
The 1992 IEM documents focused on the EIA phase of on new project proposals. Looking ahead, a key challenge
development, with little emphasis on environmental is to support sustainable development through the use of
management and ongoing monitoring during a wider range of environmental assessment and
implementation. This was partly due to timing, as the first management tools across the full activity life cycle and
set of national specifications for environmental management by all sectors of society.
systems, the British Standard BS 7750 (1992), was released
in the same year. Current practice recognizes the need to
place greater emphasis on the implementation phase of
activities through the inclusion of environmental
management systems (Heydenrych and Claassen, 1998;
Hill, 2000).
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5. MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND
CONFLICTING USES OF THE TERM IEM
It is a natural and desirable process for environmental 5.3 IEM as the adoption of NEMA principles across all
assessment and management practice and theory to evolve, spheres of government
diversify in application, consolidate methodologies and
learning, and progress into new areas of application. A Another use of the term IEM stems from the adoption and
consequence of this, however, is that over the past decade use of the IEM principles (from NEMA) by different organs
in South Africa the term Integrated Environmental of state, operating at different spheres of government.
Management has been interpreted in many different ways. For example, the IEM principles from NEMA are adopted
in the recent bills and legislation for management of
Based largely on an analysis by Nel and du Plessis (2003), biodiversity, petroleum development resources, and
three conflicting uses and incomplete interpretations of integrated pollution and waste management. This indicates
the term IEM are presented below. that the NEMA-based principles are being used by line
functions other than DEAT, at various spheres of
5.1 Integrated Environmental Management as government. Nel and du Plessis (2003) conclude that this
Environmental Impact Assessment adoption of IEM principles by these organs of state does
indeed amount to integrated environmental management
The term IEM is often equated with the concept of EIA. (in the literal meaning of the words) as NEMAs provisions
This view probably originates from the IEM Guideline Series have been integrated into their own line function activities.
of documents published in 1992, which states that:
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Ov e rv i e w of I E M
6.2 Unpacking the IEM concept issues and circumstances of the activities under review,
without compromising the integrity of the process; and
The defining words in the term Integrated Environmental be iterative, incorporating lessons learned throughout
Management were chosen carefully and are unpacked the activity life cycle.
below:
page 9
xiv) Polluter Pays Numerous tools for IEM have been described in the literature
The costs of remedying pollution, environmental and it is not the intention of this section to provide a
degradation and consequent adverse health effects comprehensive listing of these tools. This section provides
and of preventing, controlling or minimising further a summary of the more commonly used IEM tools. These
pollution, environmental damage or adverse health tools can be used by all sectors of society (e.g.
effects must be paid for by those primarily responsible government/public sector, private sector and civil society)
for causing these effects. to inform decision-making that promotes sustainable
development. It should be noted that these tools can be
xv) Precautionary approach applied within a broader context of complementary
Adopt a risk averse and cautious approach, in particular processes and supporting disciplines (Figure 1):
where current knowledge is limited, and link this
approach to a commitment to continuous improvement. * The tools can be used to support complementary
policy and planning processes that are closely
xvi) Rigour related to IEM. The IEM tools are not intended to
Ensure that appropriate techniques and experts in the replace these processes, but could be used to
relevant bio-physical and socio-economic disciplines provide inputs to these wider processes.
are deployed, in conjunction with peer review to * The tools are supported by numerous specialist
independently verify the objectivity, professionalism disciplines, which are in turn supported by
and rigour of the specialist work. technologies and methods for sourcing input data.
Figure 1: Relationship between IEM tools, complementary processes and supporting disciplines
Complimentary
Processes
(e.g. Integrated
IEM Complimentary
Processes
(e.g. Integrated
water resource
management)
TOOLS development
planning)
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Screening Screening determines whether or not a development DEAT 2002, Screening, Information Series 1.
proposal requires environmental assessment, and if
so, what type and level of assessment is appropriate.
Two types of screening exist:
(i) Mandatory screening typically
administered by an environmental
authority or some institution with
vested powers to instruct that a
screening process be undertaken;
(ii) Pre-application screening typically
undertaken outside of a legislated
process at the discretion of the
development proponent, with the
aim of identifying key environmental
issues early in the planning process
in order to inform the planning and
design and often including some form
of fatal flaw analysis.
Environmental Impact Assessment Aims to predict both positive and negative DEAT 1998, Guideline Document, EIA
environmental impacts of a proposed project and find Regulations.
ways to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to
suit the local environment and present the predictions DEAT 2002, Scoping, Information Series 2.
and options to decision-makers. This tool is designed
to be project specific and site-specific, and not to DEAT 2002, Specialist Studies, Information
be focused on strategic issues. The key phases of an Series 4.
EIA are:
DEAT 2002, Impact Significance, Information
* Scoping: The process of Series 5.
determining the spatial and
temporal boundaries, project DEAT 2004, Project Alternatives in EIA,
alternatives and key issues to be Information Series 11.
addressed in an EIA. The primary
purpose of scoping is to focus the DEAT 2004, Environmental Impact Reporting,
environmental assessment on the Information Series 15.
key issues to be investigated in the
EIA that will inform decision- DEAT 2004, Review in EIA, Information Series
making. 13.
* Impact Assessment: Involves
investigation of the issues raised CSIR 2003a, CSIR EIA Project Management
during the scoping phase. Potential Manual: A Practical Guide to Managing the EIA
impacts are assessed and measures Process, Version 1.
to enhance the positive impacts
and minimise the negative impacts
are recommended. This typically
involves the use of specialist
studies and requires the
assessment of impact significance,
with the results of the assessment
presented in an Environmental
Impact Report. The specialist
studies and Environmental Impact
Report are subjected to Review
processes.
Stakeholder Engagement The process of engagement between stakeholders DEAT 2002, Stakeholder Engagement,
during the planning, assessment, implementation Information Series 3.
and/or management of proposals or activities. The
level of stakeholder engagement can therefore be
described by a spectrum of increasing levels of
engagement in the decision-making process.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) A tool for the systematic analysis and evaluation of DEAT 2004, Life Cycle Assessment, Information
the environmental aspects of a product or service Series 9.
through all stages of its life cycle. LCA considers all
inputs (e.g. energy, raw materials and water) and all Environmental Management Tools.
outputs (e.g. products, by-products, services and http://www.uneptie.org/
various forms of waste). It could be done for a specific pc/pc/tools/
company/organisation (e.g. an aluminium smelter)
or for a wider industry (e.g. the aluminium sector). www.setac.org
LCA approaches are generally guided by standards.
A professional code of practice has also been developed ISO 14001:1996. Environmental Management
by the Society of Environmental Toxicology And Systems.
Chemistry (SETAC) which provides more detail.
p a g e 11
IEM TOOL Description Reference for more information
Environmental Auditing Environmental auditing is a process whereby an DEAT 2004, Environmental Auditing, Information
organisations environmental performance is tested Series 14.
against numerous requirements, for example, clearly
defined policies, legislated requirements and key International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) 1991,
performance indicators. The approach includes An ICC Guide to Effective Environmental
interviews and asking of questions; review of relevant Auditing.
documentation; and visual observations.
Environmental Management Tools
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC, 1991) http://www.uneptie.org/
defines environmental auditing as A management pc/pc/tools/
tool comprising a systematic, documented, periodic
and objective evaluation of how well environmental ISO 14001:1996. Environmental Management
organisation, management and equipment are Systems.
performing with the aim of contributing to
safeguarding the environment by: (i) facilitating
management control of environmental practices;
and (ii) assessing compliance with company policies,
which would include meeting regulatory
requirements.
Environmental Accounting A tool used to identify, quantify and allocate the Facts and Figures: www.
direct and indirect environmental costs and benefits mineralresourcesforum.org/workshops/Berlin
of ongoing operations. /docs/append_4.pdf
Technology Assessment Technology Assessment systematically examines the Petts 1999. Handbook of Environmental Impact
effects on society that may occur when a technology Assessment.
is introduced, extended or modified. It emphasizes
those consequences that are unintended, indirect Environmental Management Tools.
or delayed. http://www.uneptie.org/
pc/pc/tools/
Cumulative Effects Assessment (CEA) Cumulative effects assessment requires a systematic DEAT 2004, Cumulative Effects Assessment,
procedure for identifying and evaluating the Information Series 7.
significance of effects from multiple actions
representing potential causes of impacts. CEA includes Facts and Figures: www.
an analysis of the causes, pathways (linkages) and mineralresourcesforum.org/workshops/Berlin
consequences of these impacts for receptors; and /docs/append_4.pdf
the recognition that such impacts may be additive,
antagonistic or synergistic. Cumulative effects
assessment is not considered to be a stand-alone
procedure, but should be included within other IEM
tools, to further enhance holistic decision making.
Cost-Benefit Analysis Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) is a tool used by decision DEAT 2004, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Information
makers either to rank projects or to accept/reject Series 8.
them. The ranking or decision is based on expected
economic costs and benefits and the rule is simple Starkey & Welford 2001, Business and
a project should be undertaken if lifetime expected Sustainable Development.
benefits exceeds all expected costs. The art of the
analysis process comes in the measurement of these
impacts, their adjustment for market failure, and
for the effects of time, income distribution,
incomplete information and potentially irreversible
consequences.
Environmental Economics Environmental economics helps identify the costs DEAT 2004, Environmental Economics,
and benefits (negative and positive environmental Information Series 16.
impacts) not taken into account by economic agents
(i.e. external costs). In addition there are those
cost and benefits the producers and consumers do
take account of (i.e. private costs). In most cases,
full social and environmental costs and benefits are
not accounted for in market prices. In response,
environmental economics presents a number of
valuation techniques to internalise such, often,
environmental impacts. These values facilitate a
better understanding of the trade-offs between
alternative economic values. The resulting
environmental values can be used by decision makers
to choose projects that maximize the welfare of the
society.
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IEM TOOL Description Reference for more information
Ecological and Environmental Footprinting Ecological Footprinting provides a measure of Best Foot Forward
how much bio-productive area (i.e. land, water www.bestfootforward.com
or air) a population would require to sustainably
produce all the resources it consumes and to Barrett et al 2002, A Material Flow Analysis
absorb the waste it generates, using available and Ecological Footprint of York
technology. www.york.ac.uk/inst/sei/ecofootprint/york.
technicalreport.PDF
Environmental Footprinting is a similar concept
that focuses on calculating the geographical Wackernagel 1997, Ecological Footprints of
extent of the activities, products or services of Nations
a business or organization in the surrounding www.ecouncil.ac.cr/rio/focus/
environment. report/english/footprint/
introduction.htm
For example, footprinting could be done for an
individual, an organization or a city.
Risk Assessment Risk assessment includes as a minimum the DEAT 2002, Ecological Risk Assessment,
definition of the probability and severity of an Information Series 6.
undesired effect, expressed in the context of
associated uncertainties. The risk assessment
procedure can be integrated with the generic
EIA procedure, as well as be applied at a policy
level. Other key components of risk assessment
include risk management and risk
communication.
State of the Environment Reporting State of the Environment (SOE) reporting is used DEAT, South African SOE report, 1999
to highlight changes in the environment, the http://www.environment.gov.za
causes of those changes, and identify appropriate
responses. The reports provide a link between Mpumalanga DACE 2003, Mpumalanga State of
information that is often technical and the the Environment Report
general public. http://www.mpu.agric.za
Sustainability Analysis Sustainability analysis is an emerging tool. It Educating a Nation: The Natural Step.
aims to evaluate the extent to which an http://www.context.org/
activity/business is aligned with the principles ICLIB/IC28/Robert.htm
of sustainable development and contributes to
sustainable development. An example of a
methodology developed for this purpose is The
Natural Step. This methodology consists of three
parts: ecological sustainability analysis;
economical sustainability analysis; and social
sustainability analysis.
page 13
IEM TOOL Description Reference for more information
Strategic Environmental Assesssment Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is DEAT 2004, Strategic Environmental Assessment,
becoming an accepted and widely used tool for Information Series 10.
determining the environmental implications of
decisions made at a policy, plan or programme CSIR 2003b, Strategic Environmental Assessment
level. By focusing on higher-level processes, Resource Document: Introduction to the
SEA compliments and provides a framework for Process, Principles and Application of SEA.
project-level EIA. Another distinction that has
been identified between EIA and SEA is that EIA DEAT 2000, Guideline Document: Strategic
is used to evaluate the impacts of development Environmental Assessment in South Africa.
on the environment, whereas SEA aims to
evaluate the opportunities and constraints that Sadler, B. and Verheem, R. 1996, Strategic
the environment places on development. Environmental Assessment: Status, Challenges
and Future Directions
There are numerous definitions of SEA, which
reflect different understandings of its purpose.
These definitions tend to fall into two categories:
Eco-labelling A term used to describe an officially sanctioned Facts and Figures: www.
scheme in which a product may be awarded an mineralresourcesforum.org
ecological label based on an acceptable level /workshops/Berlin/docs/append_4.pdf
of environmental impact and responsible
management.
Scenario Analysis Scenario analysis assesses the future implications Van der Heijden, K., 1996, The Art of Strategic
of current environmental problems or the future Conversation.
emergence of new problems. Scenarios are Illbury, C. and Sunter, C., 2001, The Mind of
credible and coherent alternative stories about a Fox: Scenario Planning in Action.
how the world may develop which help us
envisage different futures, that challenge our
assumptions, that unpack key uncertainties,
and that thereby assist us in designing more
robust strategies and plans.
Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Facts and Figures: www.
provide guidance on how to manage the mineralresourcesforum.org/workshops/Berlin
environmental impacts of activities, products, /docs/append_4.pdf
and services. They detail the organisational
structure, responsibilities, practices, procedures, ISO 14001:1996, Environmental Management
processes and resources for implementing and Systems.
maintaining environmental management. The
ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems Environmental Management Tools.
(EMS) standard has been developed by the http://www.uneptie.org/
International Standards Organisation (ISO). pc/pc/tools/
Environmental Policy Within an EMS, the environmental policy details Facts and Figures: www.
an organisations aims and principles of action mineralresourcesforum.org/workshops/Berlin
with respect to the environment including /docs/append_4.pdf
compliance with all relevant regulatory
requirements. This may form the basis for an
organisations public environmental
commitment.
Environmental Management Plan (EMP) EMPs typically form part of an EMS and specify DEAT 2004, Environmental Management Plans,
how an activity is to be managed to minimise Information Series 12.
potential impacts on the environment and
enhance benefits, throughout the life cycle of Heydenrych R & Claassen P 1998, A national
the activity. EMPs also aim to ensure that the strategy for Integrated Environmental
conditions of authorisation associated with a Management in South Africa: Discussion
project are fulfilled; and can be applied to the Document.
construction, establishment, operational or
decommissioning phases of an activity.
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Ov e rv i e w of I E M
Scenario
Hierarchy of Activity
Cost Benefit
EIA Env. Auditing Eco. Labelling
Project Level
Analysis
Economic Env.
Resource CEA Accounting Indicators
Analysis
Stakeholder Engagement
Planning (Pre-feasibility & Feasibility) & Design Establish (Construction), Operations & Closures
page 15
8. TRENDS AND CHALLENGES
As the international community grapples with finding the together to manage its economic, social and
most effective ways to apply environmental assessment political resources and institutions for the well-
and management to meet the major challenge of our time being of the environment and the associated well-
the challenge of promoting sustainable development being of people (adapted from UNDP, 1997). This
so too in a Southern African context we must identify and implies that the challenge extends not only to
engage with the challenges that face IEM. The two key government, but also to non-government
trends for IEM globally are: organisations (NGOs), business/industry, and
community-based organisations (CBOs).
* The broadening focus of IEM tools to address issues
of sustainable development (e.g. triple bottom line 9. CONCLUSION
appraisal), to cover the full activity life cycle (i.e.
cradle to grave assessment) and into the next phase Integrated Environmental Management provides a set of
of activity (i.e. cradle to cradle assessment), and underpinning principles and a suite of environmental
to address big picture issues (e.g. biodiversity assessment and management tools that are aimed at
loss, global warming and poverty reduction). promoting sustainable development. Many of these tools,
such as Environmental Impact Assessment, are well
* The development of tools applicable to higher developed and mandatory world-wide. Other tools, such
levels of decision making than the traditional as Sustainability Analysis, are still in an emergent stage.
project level (e.g. from EIA and EMP which are With this suite of tools, IEM has the potential to play a
applicable to projects, to SEA and Strategic major role in the imperative of guiding society along a
Environmental Management Plans which are pathway to sustainability.
applicable at the planning, programme and policy
level). Meeting the many challenges South Africa faces in achieving
the goal of sustainable development requires co-operation
between all spheres of government, community-based
Challenges facing IEM in responding to these trends and organisations, non-governmental organisations, researchers
meeting its new potential include: and academics, business and environmental practitioners.
Constructive interactions between all of these stakeholders
* The need to improve the quality of outputs, the in the spirit of continual improvement will ensure that the
focus being on rigorous analysis, responsive country continues to play a leading role in developing and
consultation and responsible administration. This implementing innovative approaches to IEM.
requires capacity building across all stakeholders
involved in IEM, capturing and sharing of best
practice experience, development of guidelines,
implementation of appropriate review and
accreditation mechanisms and monitoring of
compliance.
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Ov e rv i e w of I E M
10. REFERENCES
Bartlett (1988) Policy and Impact Assessment: An introduction. Sowman, M., Fuggle, R., and Preston, G. (1995) A review of the
Impact Assessment Bulletin 6: 73-74. evolution of environmental evaluation procedures in South Africa.
Environ Impact Assess Rev 1995; 15:45-67 Elsevier, New York.
Boyle, J. (1998) Cultural influences on the implementation of
EIA: Isights from Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Environmental Starkey, R. and Welford, R. (23001) Business and Sustainable
Impact Assessment Review, Vol 21, pp 95-113. Development. Earthscan Publications Ltd. London.
Council for the Environment (1989) Integrated Environmental United Nations (2002) Johannesburg Summit (2002) Key outcomes
Management in South Africa. Pretoria: Joan Ltter. and Commitments. Available at:
http://www.uneptie.org/outreach/wssd/postjoburg/wssdoutco
CSIR (1996) Strategic Environmental Assessment: A Primer. CSIR mes.htm
Report ENV/S-RR 96001, Stellenbosch. Visited: 6 November 2003.
CSIR (2003a) CSIR EIA Project Management Manual: A Practical United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
Guide to Managing the EIA Process, Version 1. CSIR, Stellenbosch. (UNCED) (1992) Agenda 21, The Rio Declaration on Environment
and Development, United Nations Conference on Environment
CSIR (2003b) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Resource and Development, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3-14 June 1992.
Document: Introduction to the Process, Principles and Application
of SEA, Version 2. CSIR Report ENV-S-C 2002-073, CSIR, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (1997)
Stellenbosch. Southern African Development Community Sub-Regional Report.
Implemen-tation of Agenda 21: Review of progress made since
Department of Environment Affairs (1992) The Integrated the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development,
Environmental Management Procedure. Documents 1 to 6. 1992. Available at http://www.un.org/esa/earthsummit/sadc-
Pretoria: Department of Environment Affairs. cp.htm
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (1998) Guideline UNDP (1997) Participatory Local Governance: LIFEs Method
Document: EIA Regulations, Implementation of Sections 21, 22 and Experience 1992-1997. Technical Advisory Paper 1. United
and 26 of the Environment Conservation Act, ISBN 0-621-27953- Nations Development Programme, New York. Available at:
6, Pretoria. http://www.undp.org/governance/local.htm
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (1999) Van der Heijden, K. (1996) The Art of Strategic Conversation,
Environmental Management Policy. Department of Environmental John Wiley and Sons.
Affairs and Tourism, Pretoria.
World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (2000) Guideline (1987) Our Common Future. Oxford, Britain. Oxford University
Document: Strategic Environmental Assessment in South Africa. Press.
ISBN 0-621-29925-1, Pretoria.
Weaver, A. (2003) EIA and sustainable development: Key concepts
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) (1991) An ICC Guide and tools. In: Southern African Institute for Environmental
to Effective Environmental Auditing, ICC Publication No 483, ICC Assessment. Environmental impact assessment in southern
Publishing, Paris, 87 pages. ISBN 92-842-1115-8. Africa. Windhoek: Southern African Association for Environmental
Assessment, pp 3-10.
Heydenrych, R. and Claassen, P. (1998) A National Strategy for
Integrated Environmental Management in South Africa: Discussion Weaver, A., Rossouw, N. and Grobler, D. (1999) Scoping and
Document. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, issues focused environmental impact assessment in South Africa.
Pretoria. African Journal of Environmental Assessment and Management
1(1): 1-11.
Hill, R.C. (2000) Integrated Environmental Management Systems
in the implementation of projects. South African Journal of
Science 96, February 2000. OTHER USEFUL REFERENCES
Illbury, C. and Sunter, C. (2001) The Mind of a Fox: Scenario Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (1996): An
Planning in Action, Human and Rosseau, Tafelberg. Environmental Policy for South Africa: Principles, Green paper
for public discussion.
Nel, J. and du Plessis, W. (2003) Unpacking Integrated http://www.polity.org.za/html/govdocs/green_papers/enviro3
Environmental Manage-ment a step closer to effective co- .html
operative governance, in Conference Proceedings of IAIA South Visited: 20/10/2003
Africas Annual National Conference 2003, Wilderness. ISBN 1-
919891-04-8. Environmental Protection (Liveable Neighbourhoods) Bill (2000):
Principles of Environmental Protection, Victorian State Government
Petts, J. (Editor) (1999) Handbook of Environmental Impact http://jnevill.customer.netspace.net.au/Extract_EPAct_amend
Assessment: Volume 1, Environmental Impact Assessment: ments_2000.htm
Process, Methods and Potential. Blackwell Science, Oxford. Visited: 20/10/2003
Sadler, B. and Verheem, R. (1996) Strategic Environmental ICC Business Charter for Sustainable Development: Principles for
Assessment: Status, Challenges and Future Directions, Ministry Environmental Management
of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment of The http://www.iccsweden.se/policy/miljo/charter/charter2.htm
Netherlands, The Netherlands. Visited: 20/10/2003
page 17
11. GLOSSARY
Definitions
Affected environment
Those parts of the socio-economic and biophysical environment impacted on by the development.
Affected public
Groups, organizations, and/or individuals who believe that an action might affect them.
Alternative proposal
A possible course of action, in place of another, that would meet the same purpose and need. Alternative proposals
can refer to any of the following but are not necessarily limited thereto:
* alternative sites for development
* alternative projects for a particular site
* alternative site layouts
* alternative designs
* alternative processes
* alternative materials
In IEM the so-called no-go alternative also requires investigation.
Authorities
The national, provincial or local authorities, which have a decision-making role or interest in the proposal or activity.
The term includes the lead authority as well as other authorities.
Baseline
Conditions that currently exist. Also called existing conditions.
Baseline information
Information derived from data which:
* Records the existing elements and trends in the environment; and
* Records the characteristics of a given project proposal
Decision-maker
The person(s) entrusted with the responsibility for allocating resources or granting approval to a proposal.
Decision-making
The sequence of steps, actions or procedures that result in decisions, at any stage of a proposal.
Environment
The surroundings within which humans exist and that are made up of -
i. the land, water and atmosphere of the earth;
ii. micro-organisms, plant and animal life;
iii. any part or combination of (i) and (ii) and the interrelationships among and between them; and
iv. the physical, chemical, aesthetic and cultural properties and conditions of the foregoing that influence human
health and well-being. This includes the economic, cultural, historical, and political circumstances, conditions and
objects that affect the existence and development of an individual, organism or group.
Environmental consultant
Individuals or firms who act in an independent and unbiased manner to provide information for decision-making.
Fatal flaw
Any problem, issue or conflict (real or perceived) that could result in proposals being rejected or stopped.
Impact
The positive or negative effects on human well-being and/or on the environment.
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Lead authority
The environmental authority at the national, provincial or local level entrusted in terms of legislation, with the responsibility
for granting approval to a proposal or allocating resources and for directing or coordinating the assessment of a proposal
that affects a number of authorities.
Mitigate
The implementation of practical measures to reduce adverse impacts.
Proponent
Any individual, government department, authority, industry or association proposing an activity (e.g. project, programme
or policy).
Proposal
The development of a project, plan, programme or policy. Proposals can refer to new initiatives or extensions and
revisions to existing ones.
Public
Ordinary citizens who have diverse cultural, educational, political and socio-economic characteristics. The public is not
a homogeneous and unified group of people with a set of agreed common interests and aims. There is no single public.
There are a number of publics, some of whom may emerge at any time during the process depending on their particular
concerns and the issues involved.
Role-players
The stakeholders who play a role in the environmental decision-making process. This role is determined by the level of
engagement and the objectives set at the outset of the process.
Scoping
The process of determining the spatial and temporal boundaries (i.e. extent) and key issues to be addressed in an
environmental assessment. The main purpose of scoping is to focus the environmental assessment on a manageable
number of important questions. Scoping should also ensure that only significant issues and reasonable alternatives are
examined.
Screening
A decision-making process to determine whether or not a development proposal requires environmental assessment, and
if so, what level of assessment is appropriate. Screening is initiated during the early stages of the development of a
proposal.
Significant/significance
Significance can be differentiated into impact magnitude and impact significance. Impact magnitude is the measurable
change (i.e. intensity, duration and likelihood). Impact significance is the value placed on the change by different
affected parties (i.e. level of significance and acceptability). It is an anthropocentric concept, which makes use of value
judgements and science-based criteria (i.e. biophysical, social and economic). Such judgement reflects the political
reality of impact assessment in which significance is translated into public acceptability of impacts.
Stakeholders
A sub-group of the public whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by a proposal or activity and/or who
are concerned with a proposal or activity and its consequences. The term therefore includes the proponent, authorities
(both the lead authority and other authorities) and all interested and affected parties (I&APs). The principle that
environmental consultants and stakeholder engagement practitioners should be independent and unbiased excludes these
groups from being considered stakeholders.
Stakeholder engagement
The process of engagement between stakeholders (the proponent, authorities and I&APs) during the planning, assessment,
implementation and/or management of proposals or activities. The level of stakeholder engagement varies depending
on the nature of the proposal or activity as well as the level of commitment by stakeholders to the process. Stakeholder
engagement can therefore be described by a spectrum or continuum of increasing levels of engagement in the decision-
making process. The term is considered to be more appropriate than the term public participation.
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ABBREVIATIONS
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KIC CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND BRANDING/082 332 2567
D ep artm en t o f
En vi ro n m en tal A ffai rs an d To u ri sm