Environmental impact assessment

The aim of the course is to introduce the components and structure of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as well as discuss how national guidelines and requirements for EIAs influence the outcome.
Modern EIA includes both environmental and social impacts of development projects, hence the course is interdisciplinary by nature and is relevant for a range of academic disciplines.
Students will obtain a comprehensive overview and thorough knowledge of EIA procedures and methodologies.
An EIA requires insights into a wide spectrum of methodologies and procedures, as well as a range of professional qualifications. Current EIAs include an evaluation of environmental, economic, social and cultural impacts. EIA is a rapidly evolving and expanding field of activity and an important professional field for candidates interested in natural resource management and development. The course will introduce basic concepts and generic methodologies, and will focus on EIA within the fields of agriculture and forestry, natural resource management, infrastructure and water resource management projects. The problems and pitfalls of EIA will be discussed. The course is mainly focusing on EIA in developing countries, but examples from Denmark and other countries are also used.
After completing the course, the students should have a comprehensive overview and thorough knowledge of EIA procedures and relevant EIA methodologies. In combination with the professional knowledge from their individual disiplinary backgrounds, the students should be able to contribute to design and implementation of EIAs.

Knowledge:
-Show overview of the components of an EIA and their respective requirements and outputs

Skills:
- explain specific methods and tools used in EIA
- apply assessment principles and expand applicability to other cases

Competences:
- apply methods and approaches used in environmental impact assessment (EIA) outside own disciplinary field.
- discuss impacts and weigh them against benefits from concrete development projects
- evaluate desirability of development plans based on an evaluation of impacts, mitigation options and the likely benefits.