Midterm 1 - Readings

Question 1

Human access

Answer 1

combined land surface anthropogenic disturbances caused by industrial activities i.e. pipelines, petroleum and natural gas well sites, transmission lines, roads, mine sites, agricultural clearings, and clear cuts.

Question 2

Industrial concession

Answer 2

agreement between individuals and governments that allow for the exploration and/or exploitation of non-renewable and renewable resources.

Question 3

Environmental Assesment (EA)/ Impact Assessment (IA)/ Environmental Impact Assesment (EIA)

Answer 3

a systematic process designed to identify, predict, and propose management measures concerning the impacts of a proposed undertaking on the biophysical or human environment

Question 4

cumulative effect

Answer 4

a change in the environment caused by the combined or interacting effects of multiple actions, including natural disturbances, that accumulate across space and time

Question 5

environmental impact statement (EIS)

Answer 5

The formal documentation produced from the environmental assessment process that provides a non-technical summary of major findings, statement of assessment purpose and need, and a detailed description of the proposed action, impacts, alternatives, and mitigation measures.

Question 6

social impact assessment (SIA)

Answer 6

a systemic process designed to identify, predict, and propose management measures concerning the impacts of a proposed undertaking on the human environment, including social systems, structures, relations, and wellbeing.

Question 7

Health impact assessment (HIA)

Answer 7

A systemic process designed to identify, predict, and propose management measures concerning the impacts of proposed undertaking on human health and well-being

Question 8

strategic environmental assessment (SEA)

Answer 8

the environmental assessment of initiatives, policies, plans, and programs and their alternatives

Question 9

sustainability assessment (SA)

Answer 9

a systemic process designed to evaluate the contributions or detractions of a proposed undertaking toward sustainability objectives or outcomes

Question 10

Induced development

Answer 10

development that is triggered or enabled by other developments, such as mineral exploration or economic activity resulting from a new road being built in a previously remote inaccessible area.

Question 11

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Answer 11

The US legislation of 1969 that required certain development project proponents to demonstrate that their projects would not cause adverse environmental effects; the beginning of formal environmental assessment.

Question 12

10 Components of the EA process

Answer 12

1. pre-project planning
2. project description
3. screening
4. scoping and baseline assesment
5. impact assesment
6. identifying strategies and managing impacts
7. significance determination
8. submission and review of the EIS
9. recomendations and decisions
10. implementation and follow up

Question 13

formal vs informal EA

Answer 13

formal Ea - grounded on legal process
informal ea - application is ad hoc with no legal requirements

Question 14

pre-project planning

Answer 14

proponents consult with potentially affected communities about the projects purpose, potential benefits, and impacts, and develop a plan for community engagement.

May negotiate private agreements with community (benefit-sharing)

Question 15

project description

Answer 15

description of the project’s needs.

Alternatives to the project

Alternative ways of carrying out the project

Question 16

screening

Answer 16

determine whether EA is required under regulations and guidelines. If so, who is responsible and what type of assessment is required.

Question 17

scoping and baseline assesment

Answer 17

key issues to be included, spatial and temporal boundaries of the assessment determined. Baseline data collected on potentially affected components.

Question 18

impact assessment

Answer 18

Project’s potential impacts are predicted and characterized, based on trends, scenarios, scientific and local knowledge, and previous projects and experiences.

Question 19

Identifying strategies and managing impacts

Answer 19

ranging from avoidance and mitigation to compensation. Environmental management or protection plans and adaptive management programs are formulated.

Question 20

significance determination

Answer 20

potentially significant adverse impacts are identified.

Question 21

submission and review of the EIS

Answer 21

EIS is prepared submitted for technical and public review. The EIS presents the findings of the EA

Question 22

recommendations and decisions

Answer 22

Recommendations are made to a decision maker, and a decision is made on whether proposed undertaking should proceed, and if so, under what conditions. In some cases, public hearings occur.

Question 23

implementation and follow up

Answer 23

Impact management strategies are applied and monitoring programs implemented to determine compliance with the conditions of approval. Determine effectiveness of impact management and implement adaptive management measures where needed.

Question 24

4 roles for experts in decision making

Answer 24

1. Pure scientisits - focussed on the facts
2. Science arbiter - answers factual questions
3. Issue advocate - seeks to reduce the scope of info available by presenting/interpreting info in a certain way to influence the decision
4. Honest broker - seeks to expand and clarify the nature and scope of info and options available so everyone is aware of the implications of certain decisions

Question 25

Who is involved in the EA process?

Answer 25

1. Project proponents - propose project and are responsible for carrying it out as required
2. Regulators or government authorites - responsible for the EA and ensuring due process.
3. Decision makers: in most cases is the responsible elected minister
4. Affected interests - anyone potentially affected by a proposed development
5. Practitioners - the consultants who carry out the technical analysis and compile the EIS on behalf of the proponent
   A good practitioner does more than the minimum regulatory requirements

Question 26

How are land use plans involved in EA?

Answer 26

Land use plans inform regional and strategic Eas which focus on the cumulative effects of alternative land uses, the spatial organization and pace of development programs, and setting environmental standards or targets

Question 27

what is the purpose of EA?

Answer 27

Informs decision makers about whether a proposed development is in the public and environmental interest

Strengthens the environmental management process that follows the consent decision for development

Question 28

How does EA work in canada?

Answer 28

Provinces own the majority of resource rights in Canada and have power to make laws dealing with the development, conservation, and management of nonrenewable resources, and forestry resources.

EA in Canada is currently required at the federal level.

Question 29

Berger Inquiry

Answer 29

a federal royal commission in the early 1970s, led by Justice Thomas Berger, into the potential efects of a proposal to develop an energy pipeline corridor from the Mackenzie River Delta in the Beaufort Sea through the Northwest Territories to tie into gas pipelines in northern Alberta.

Question 30

Environmental Assessment Review Process (EARP)

Answer 30

the first canadian federal environmental assessment process, formally introduced in 1973 by federal guidelines order. Federal Environmental Assessment review office (FEARO) created to administer its implementation.

Question 31

Impact assessment act

Answer 31

came into force in 2019, replacing the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012.

Sets out the requirements for impact assessment in Canada at the federal level and the role(s) of the Impact Assessment Agency.

includes enhanced recognitiion of indigenous rights, intersts, and knowledge

acknowledges importance of public participation early in the assesment process.

Question 32

Inuvialuit Final Agreement

Answer 32

Coming into effect in 1984 as the first land-claim agreement settled in the Northwest Territories, signed between the Inuvialuit and the Government of Canada and defining the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

Question 33

James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement

Answer 33

Signed in 1975, the first comprehensive land-claim agreement between the Governments of Quebec and Canada and Cree and Inuit peoples of northern Quebec.

Question 34

Mackenzie valley resource management act

Answer 34

An act implemented by the federal government to give decision making authority to northerners concerning environment and resource development activities within the Mackenzie Valley region of the Northwest Territories.

proclaimed in 1998, the act governs environmental assesment in the region.

Question 35

Nunavut land claims agreement

Answer 35

Canada’s largest land claims settlement and land claims-based environmental assessment process.

Signed in 1993, giving the Inuit self-governing authority and leading to the establishment of a new territory, Nunavut, in 1999.

Question 36

Oldman river dam

Answer 36

a dam constructed at the confluence of the Oldman, Castle, and Crowsnest rivers in Alberta to support large-scale irrigation development, triggering legal challenges by environmental groups that would pave the way for federal EA legislation.

Opposing parties were unsuccessful and based on Alberta ea process the project began construction over 10 years later

Question 37

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples

Answer 37

Adopted by the UN in 2007, an international instrument to enshrine the rights that “constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and wellbeing of the Indigenous peoples of the world”.

Question 38

Key issues + learnings from Mackenzie valley pipeline project

Answer 38

• Concerns in report = impacts on caribou, adverse effects on indigenous communities
  
  • Delayed development by 10 years and negotiated land claim agreements prior to development
  • By the time the inquiry was over, the world energy prices had fallen and the project became uneconomical
  • Justice berger, responsible wanted indigenous people to speak to the inquiry in their own villages, in their own language, in their own way
  • His process set international expectations for the critical and cross cultural public assessment required fro resource development

Question 39

bill c-9

Answer 39

revised canadian environemntal assessment act in 2003

Strengthened commitments

Specific provisions to:
§ request follow up studies or additional info before making project decisions
§ Improve consideration of cumulativev effects
§ Exempt smaller projects from ea requirement
§ Better coordinate eas between rederal and provincial jursidictions
§ Expend opportunites for public input and ensure better incorporation of indigenous perspectives and values

Question 40

Based on the impact assesment act, decision makers determine whether a project is in the public interest in consideration of what 5 key factors?

Answer 40

1. contribution to sustainability
2. signifiance of adverse effects
3. implementation of mitigation measures
4. contributions/hinderance to canadas climate commitments
5. impacts on indigenous peoples

Question 41

Active vs inactive publics

Answer 41

active publics: those who affect decisions
ex industry associations, environmental organizations, quasi-statutory bodies, other organized interest groups.

inactive publics: publics not normally involved in environmental planning, decisions, or project issues - yet they may be affected.

Question 42

Alternative means

Answer 42

different ways of carrying out a proposed project - typically alternative locations, timing of activities, or engineering designs.

criteria: technologically feasible, relevant to needs, economically viable.

Question 43

Alternatives to

Answer 43

Different ways of addressing a problem at hand or meeting the proposed project objectives
ie renewable energy is an alternative to a proposed coal-fired generating station.

Question 44

Meaningful engagement

Answer 44

those potentially affected by development, or who have a vested interest in development, are enlisted into the planning, assessment, and decision process to contribute to it, thus providing opportunities for the exchange of information, opinions, interests, and values.

Question 45

multi-criteria evaluation

Answer 45

a structured analytical approach that involves the assessment of competing alternatives or options against multiple criteria.

Question 46

participant funding programs

Answer 46

programs established by governments (tho they can also be established by project proponents) that provide financial support to the public (usually interest groups, Indigenous groups) to participate in impact assessment processes.

Question 47

peterson matrix

Answer 47

a multiplicative environmental assessment matrix consisting of project impacts and causal factors, resultant impacts on the human environment, and the relative importance of those human components used to derive an overall project impact score.

Question 48

public participation

Answer 48

involvement of individuals and groups that are positively or negatively affected by a proposed intervention subject to a decision making process or are interested in it.

Question 49

What is the hierarchy of project alternatives?

Answer 49

1. alternatives to
2. alternative means - location
3. Alternative means - design

Question 50

responsibilities of project proponent in EA

Answer 50

1. engage w public + indigenous groups
2. prepare project description, explore alternatives, identify issues and concerns
3. file project application w responsible authorities

Question 51

responsibilities of public in EA

Answer 51

1. identify and provide input on issues + concerns
2. participate in engagement opportunities
3. apply for available funding to support participation
4. share knowledge w other publics

Question 52

Responsibilities of Indigenous groups in EA

Answer 52

1. identify issues pertaining to Indigenous rights
2. negotiate agreements for engagement

Question 53

Responsibilities of government agencies in EA

Answer 53

1. consult w Indigenous groups
2. provide financial resources to support participation
3. make info available to public
4. provide guidance to proponent in ea process 5. provide data

Question 54

3 methods to support alternatives assessment

Answer 54

1. rating or ranking procedure
2. peterson matrix
3. multi-criteria evaluation procedures

Question 55

2 factors in identifying publics to ensure equal participation

Answer 55

1. influence
2. stake in outcome

ex
indigenous communities have high stake, high influence.

locally affected community have high stake, low influence
–> ensure voice is represented

Question 56

Project description

Answer 56

Prepared after determined that the proposed project is the best option

Determines need of ea and scope of asessement

Parts of project descriptions
1. Project purpose
2. Project information
3. policy or regulatory context
4. engagement strategy
5. assessment information

Question 57

case-by-case screening

Answer 57

determining the need for assessment based on the specific project characteristics and local context, usually in the absence of any formal project lists

Question 58

designated activities

Answer 58

projects or activities that are contained on a project list or specified in regulations (ie IAA), or as determined by a responsible minister, that may require environmental assessment.

Question 59

environmental preview report (EPR)

Answer 59

An early report that is used to determine whether or not an environmental assessment is needed and the level of assessment required.

outlines the project, potential environmental effects, alternatives, and management measures.

Question 60

hybrid screening

Answer 60

a screening approach that combines the characterstics of case by case and list based screening

Question 61

initial environmental examination (IEE)

Answer 61

a preliminary study prepared to establish whether an environmental assessment is needed and what level of assessment should be implemented.

Question 62

list-based screening

Answer 62

determining the need for assessment based on checklist of projects or activities or defined undertakings, usually defined in a project list or regulations.

Question 63

precautionary principle

Answer 63

the principle that when information is incomplete but there is threat of an adverse effect, the lack of full certainty should not be used as a reason to preclude or postpone actions to prevent harm.

Question 64

project lists

Answer 64

a list of activities or projects usually defined in regulations and based on specified project size or thresholds, for which an assessment may be required.

Question 65

review panel

Answer 65

an independent panel appointed to undertake an environmental assessment

or

a type of environmental assesment (assesment by review panel) that is applied to projects w uncertain or potentially significant effects or warranted by public and stakeholder concern.

Question 66

screening

Answer 66

the selection process used to determine which projects need to undergo an environmental assessment and to what extent.

Question 67

terms of reference

Answer 67

a document normally prepared by a government agency that sets out for the proponent the required contents of an environmental impact statement or monitoring program.

Question 68

threshold based screening

Answer 68

a screening process whereby proposed developments are placed in categories and thresholds are set for each type of development, such as project size, level of emissions generated, or area affected.

Question 69

activity information

Answer 69

information about the different actions, components, or activities associated with a proposed undertaking that may lead to environmental effects.

Question 70

baseline study

Answer 70

consists of identification and analysis conditions over space and time for the purpose of delineating change, trends, patterns, or limits to assist in impact assessment, impact evaluation, and impact monitoring activities.

includes
1. Identifying and selecting valued components (VC) for inclusion in the assessment

2. Establishing spatial and temporal boundaries
3. Assessing the condition of, and changes or trends in, VCs

Question 71

benchmark

Answer 71

a standard or point of reference against which environmental change or effect can be measured or judged.

Question 72

cautionary threshold

Answer 72

the level of change or set condition at which monitoring efforts should be increased to more closely monitor valued component or indicator conditions and the effectiveness of best management practices verified to prevent any further adverse change.

Question 73

types of indicators

Answer 73

1. condition-based indicators: direct measurable information about the condition or state of the VC. (i.e. VC: surface water quality, Indicator: phosphorous concentration)
2. disturbance-based indicators: measurable stress or disturbances that affect the VC (i.e. VC: fish, indicator: stream crossing density)

Question 74

scoping

Answer 74

determining the issues and parameters that should be addressed in EA, establishing the spatial and temporal boundaries of the assessment, and focusing the assessment on the relevant issues and concerns.

Question 75

baseline assessment

Answer 75

considers the past, present and possible future state of the environment without the proposed project or activity

Question 76

2 questions for determining VC interaction w project activities

Answer 76

1. Is the VC likely to be affected directly or indirectly by project activities?
   - impact matrices
   - leopold matrix
2. Is information needed about the VC to support the assessment of project impacts on another VC?
   - effect pathways

Question 77

impact matrices

Answer 77

a tool for communicating assessment information, comprised for a two-dimensional checklist of project activities on one axis and potentially affected environmental components on the other.

Answer 78

situates the VC of concern in a broader context, which may be required to understand background conditions, ecosystem functioning, or other factors that may help in identifying and understanding the nature and importance of effects caused by the project.

Question 79

VC indicators

Answer 79

understanding and tracking actual change in VC conditions and providing an early warning of potential adverse effects.

Question 80

leopold matrix

Answer 80

an environmental assessment matrix for identifying first order project-environment interactions, consisting of a grid of possible projects along a horizontal axis and environmental considerations along a vertical axis.

horizontal axis = 100 possible project activities
vertical axis = 88 environmental considerations
Cell = +/- magnitude and importance

Question 81

effect pathways

Answer 81

(i.e. water quality –> survival of a valued fish species –> reduction of a traditional food supply)

Question 82

range of natural variability

Answer 82

ecosystems are dynamic and fluctuate within a certain range of normalcy, beyond which, when disturbed adverse effects occur.

Question 83

threshold

Answer 83

An established limit of change, may include: acceptable limits of change from a broader societal perspective and desired VC conditions or objectives.

Question 84

target threshold

Answer 84

politically or socially defined - margin of safety and mandatory trigger for management action.

Question 85

critical threshold

Answer 85

maximum acceptable change, socially or ecologically, beyond which impacts may be long-term or irreparable.

Question 86

3 threshold management targets

Answer 86

1. cautionary
2. target
3. critical

Question 87

3 assessment boundaries

Answer 87

1. spatial bounding
2. temporal bounding
3. jurisdiction bounding and transboundary effects

Question 88

two types of information about assesment boundaries

Answer 88

Activity information –> effects a project might generate

Receptor information –> processes resulting from such effects

Question 89

parts of the nested study areas approach

Answer 89

Local study area: where the project’s immediate or direct effects are likely to occur.

Regional study area: defined for each VC, that reflects the potential zone of influence, of project effects and included other activities within the region that may be affecting the VC of concern.

Context area: situates VC of concern in a broader context, may require to understand background conditions, ecosystem functioning, or other factors that may help in identifying and understanding the nature and importance of effects caused by the project.

Question 90

network / systems diagrams

Answer 90

links and pathways of interaction exist between individual components of the environment such that when one component is affected there will be an effect on other components that interact with it.

Question 91

baseline/retrospective assessment

Answer 91

how conditions have changed over time and the key drivers and interactions responsible for that change.

Question 92

environmental change

Answer 92

difference in the condition of an environmental or socioeconomic parameter, usually measurable, over a specified period.

Question 93

Environmental Effect/ Environmental Impact:

Answer 93

change in difference. The difference in the condition of an environmental parameter under project-induced changed compared to what that condition might be in the absence of project-induced change.

Question 94

3 main categories of impact prediction

Answer 94

1. Impacts of the project in the environment (biophysical and human)
   - valued components (biophysical and human), holistic components, climate change (ability to meet climate goals)
2. Impacts of the environment on the project
   - environmental risk, resilience, sensitivity, adaptive capacity
3. Cumulative impacts of the project
   - point source stress, non point source stress, cumulative impact

Question 95

biophysical valued components

Answer 95

biological change, chemical change, physical change, ecological change.

Question 96

human valued components

Answer 96

demographic change, cultural change, economic change, health, and social change, infrastructure change, and institutional change.

Question 97

holistic components

Answer 97

Indigenous rights, community health, ecosystem services

Question 98

sensitivity of projects w respect to climate change

Answer 98

degree to which a project and infrastructure are affected by climate change

Question 99

stranded assets

Answer 99

when a project becomes no longer economically viable because of increasing climate related costs.

Question 100

cumulative impacts

Answer 100

the total effect of all activities, accumulating over time across space, combined with larger-scale stress caused by climate change and transboundary effects acting on a single VC

Question 101

Analogue approaches

Answer 101

examination of similar projects and learning from past project experiences where conditions might be similar, must be sufficiently alike to justify transfer of findings

Question 102

delphi technique

Answer 102

an iterative survey-type questionaire that solicits the advice of a group of experts, provides feedback to all participants on the statistical summaries of the responses, and gives each expert an opportunity to revise her on his judgments.

Question 103

2 types of models

Answer 103

Balance models: identify inputs and outputs for identified environmental components.

Statistical models: often used for extrapolation or trend analysis, based on assumption about fundamental relationships or correlation underlying an observed phenomenon.

Determine statistical significant difference between predicted changes due to project influence vs natural changes in the absence of the project.

Spatial models: GIS

Question 104

Threshold-Based MAELS

Answer 104

Threshold-based predictions rely on previous experience with similar projects

MAELS: maximum allowable effects level, base impact predictions on a desirable level or maximum level of change.

Monitoring so that adverse effects beyond MAEL do not occur

Question 105

scenarios

Answer 105

Alternative images of the future that serve to challenge current assumptions and account for the likely possibility that the future is not a static continuation of the past

Question 106

7 characterizations of predicted impacts

Answer 106

1. order
   - direct (first order), indirect (second order), and induced effects
2. nature
   - incremental effects, additive effects, synergistic effects, antagonist effects
3. magnitude
   - magnitude, direction of change
4. spatial extent
   - off site impacts, on site impacts
5. frequency and duration
6. reversibility
7. likelihood
   - risk

Question 107

induced effects

Answer 107

those resulting from other activities or actions triggered indirectly by a project but actions that the project proponent has little control over.

Question 108

incremental effects

Answer 108

marginal changes in conditions that are directly attributable to the action being assessed.

Consider rate of change (i.e. forestry operation = incremental loss of habitat each year)

Question 109

additive effects

Answer 109

consequences of individual but separate actions that may be minor individually but together can create a significant overall impact.

Single development action repeatedly affects the same environmental component over space and time.

Two or more actions of the same type are affecting the same environmental component.

Question 110

synergistic effects

Answer 110

result of interactions between effects and occur when the total effects is grater than the sum of the effects individually.

Question 111

antagonist effects

Answer 111

when one adverse effect partially cancels out, offsets , or interrupts another adverse effect or impact.

Chorine and phosphates managing eutrophication

Question 112

probability analysis

Answer 112

an analysis that uses quantified probability to classify the likelihood of an impact occurring and under what environmental conditions

Question 113

sensitivity analysis

Answer 113

examination of the sensitivity of an impact prediction to minor differences in input data, environmental parameters, and assumptions

Question 114

confirmatory analysis

Answer 114

used to test for uncertainty in impact predictive techniques and to ensure similar predictive outcomes from different types of techniques

Question 115

ways of addressing uncertainty

Answer 115

1. analysis: probability, sensitivity, confirmatory
   - assumes that the level of uncertainty can be quantified and assed
2. uncertainty disclosure
   - uncertainty cannot be expressed as a probability
3. uncertainty matrix
   - location of uncertainty (what aspect of the project is uncertain ie assumptions about ecological systems, political context), level of uncertainty, nature of uncertainty (whether uncertainty can be eliminated or reduced)

Question 116

levels of uncertainity

Answer 116

1. statistical uncertainty: calculated error and probabilities are known, and the decision risk can be calculated
2. scenario uncertainty: how an impacted system might change is fairly understood, but the likelihood and extent of change are not known
3. systemic uncertainty: uncertainties that cannot be estimated by any current method or technique - we don’t know

Question 117

Impact Management/ Impact Mitigation

Answer 117

encompasses a hierarchy of strategies from avoiding impacts to offsetting impacts that simply cannot be avoided, minimized, or restored.

Question 118

4 strategies for impact mitigiation

Answer 118

1. avoiding impacts
2. minimizing severity and extent of impacts
   - ie buffer zone in forestry operations
3. restoring affected components/functions
   - ie remediation - restoring contamination to safe levels
4. offsetting or compensating for unavoidable loss
   - monetary benefit payments to the affected, measures to recreate habitat in alternative sites

Question 119

Environmental Management Plans (EMPs) / Environmental Protection Plans

Answer 119

Mandatory requirements in EA, prepared by the proponent, detail the specific impact mitigation strategies and the ways in which they are to be implemented.

Prescriptions must be verifiable, related to risk, proven effective, (scientifically + technically feasible), does not contradict regulation/legislation.

Question 120

Adaptive Management (AM)

Answer 120

strategy, structured, well-planned approach to environmental management that treats management prescriptions or mitigation as experiments to test hypotheses, monitor the outcomes and subsequently adapt actions as new knowledge and understanding are gained.

Question 121

Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs)

Answer 121

Private, bilateral agreements between an industry proponent and (usually) an affected community or indigenous group.

negotiated agreements external to the regulatory EA process.

Project contracting and employment opportunities.

Cultural, social, and economic aspects

Question 122

windows of negotiation

Answer 122

Pre-EA Negotiation: certainty provisions (legally binding), but high uncertainty

Parallel-EA Negotiation: leverage information and input, but confidential nature of agreement hinders process.

Post-EA Negotiation: after EIS but before impact management plan implementation. Clearer information, but less opportunity for community to leverage benefits.

Question 123

what is the largest emerging challenge to ea?

Answer 123

mounting global challenges –> expanding scope and mounting expectations for ea

Question 124

Canadian EA is at the critical junction of 2 possible paths:

Answer 124

Path 1 - continue with the status quo, approaching ea on a project by project basis and expect it to do more in response to bigger challenges
(likely leading to an overbudened system that cant solve issues it wasn’t designed to adress, further disatifsaction, conflict, stalled projects, and superficial treamtents to improtant issues)

Path 2: re-imagine ea as embedded in an integrated system of strategic and regional assessment.

Strategic and regional assesment are the norm, paving the way for projects that ensure more sustainable outcomes and rethinking those that don’t

Development initiatives are created based on economic opportunity and strategic policy and planning objectives intended to proactively address complex environmental and societal challenges