Environmental Impact Assessment: For Whose Needs?
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Date
2008
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Abstract
Tanzania, like many other developing countries, is keen to attract foreign
investments to foster the country’s socioeconomic development. However,
the competition among developing countries to attract foreign investment
preference has in many cases sacrificed policies geared towards sustainable
development for short-term economic gains. With the intention of
conserving the global environment, the multinational financing institutions
have made it mandatory that all development projects should be subjected
to EIA before they can be funded. Is this sustainable? This case study
suggests that an effective (and sustainable) EIA regime is dependent on,
among other things:
• the government’s political will;
• effective environmental legislation;
• institutional support;
• proper development objectives; and
• trained personnel.
Unfortunately, many of these factors are not in place in Tanzania (and
probably not in place in most developing countries). This has led in many
cases to frustration on the part of environmental impact assessors,
governmental advisors and the public at large. Because of economic
considerations some projects have been given a go ahead despite negative
assessment and public outcry. In some cases, projects have been assessed
positively even though the negative impacts are obviously overwhelming,
which may be due to the fact that the investor is paying for the assessment
and thus may influence the outcome of the assessment process. This case
study examines the prawn project, which was subjected to EIA, rejected by
the review team and approved for implementation by the government. The
paper poses a question: For whose needs is the EIA conducted? The
investor? The government? The assessor? The environment? The public?
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Katima, J.H.Y., 2008. Environmental impact assessment: for whose needs?. UNEP EIA Training Resource Manual.(Date unknown). Available at http://www. unep. ch/etu/publications/26, 20183.