Chapter 9: Training requirements for environmental impact assessment.

The article focuses on training requirements for environmental impact assessment. The last fifteen years have seen a remarkable expansion in the provisions made, or envisaged, for the environmental impact assessment of environmentally sensitive projects. Through a variety of laws, application decrees and non-mandatory provisions, EIA procedures have been inserted into the planning and decision-making arrangements for such projects in many countries and international organizations. This is a considerable achievement, particularly given the difficult economic conditions which prevail. Having accomplished it, there is a natural tendency to assume that the main job has been done and that the smooth and efficient implementation of environmental impact assessment will follow automatically. The potential benefits from EIA implementation are considerable. They include more effective compliance with environmental standards; improvements in the design; savings in capital and operating costs; just to name a few.