TECHNOLOGY-TRANSFER OF ENVIRONMENTAL-IMPACT ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGIES TO DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

More than 50 environmental impact assessment methodologies have been developed and used throughout the world to evaluate the impacts resulting from the construction and operation of a wide diversity of activities. These methods can be classified into five different types: (1) ad hoc, (2) checklist, (3) network, (4) matrix, and (5) overlay-each having strengths and weaknesses. No single type of methodology can meet all the needs for impact assessment of a given human activity. It is, therefore, necessary to synthesize from the available approaches one that will meet the technical, legal, and sociopolitical needs of a particular situation or country. This paper summarizes and illustrates the various types of methods and emphasizes the need to develop an appropriate method pertinent to a particular human activity. It also demonstrates how such methods can be synthesized and implemented in their unique setting from a global perspective.