The Quality of Biodiversity Inputs to EIA in Areas with High Biodiversity Value — Experience from the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa

Trevor Winston Hallatt, Francois Pieter Retief and Luke Alan Sandham ()
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Trevor Winston Hallatt: Zantow Environmental Consulting Services, 22 Delius Street, Vanderbijlpark, 1900, South Africa
Francois Pieter Retief: Research Unit for Environmental Science and Management, North West University, (Potchefstroom Campus), South Africa
Luke Alan Sandham: School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), 2015, vol. 17, issue 03, 1-26

Abstract: The quality of biodiversity inputs to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in areas with high biodiversity value was investigated by reviewing the quality of a sample of Biodiversity Impact Assessments (BIAs) in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), South Africa. The results suggest that while the overall performance was satisfactory, several inadequacies were evident, confirming international trends. Inadequacies relate to consideration of alternatives, public consultation, monitoring programmes, and gathering of biodiversity baseline data during inappropriate seasons and over insufficient time periods. Positive outcomes include the incorporation of ecosystems processes in baseline studies and assessment as well as the wide adoption of a precautionary approach to impact prediction. It is recommended that best practice and biodiversity guidance as developed and implemented in the Western Cape Province, be adopted as widely as possible in other provinces, and that the BIA practitioner community be alerted to revealed weakness of BIA report quality.

Keywords: Cape floristic region (CFR); EIA: biodiversity; biodiversity impact assessment (BIA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1142/S1464333215500258

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