The CBBIA project in south and southeast Asia culminated in the production of a guidance manual to assist IA practitioners and reviewers with biodiversity-inclusive impact assessment.
A brief synopsis of the guidance manual is presented here.
Section I introduces the concepts of biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services, explaining their importance, why they degrade and what can be done about it. The rationale for the guide is discussed here.
Section II gives an overview of South Asian biodiversity, developments within the key sectors of roads, mining and oil & gas, and finally the state of EIA and SEA within the region.
Section III describes a generic EIA framework, detailing the traditional EIA framework and one which is inclusive of biodiversity, economics and livelihoods.
Section IV is a practitioner's guide for biodiversity-inclusive EIA
. This includes a suggested framework for a biodiversity-inclusive EIA, from the screening stage through to impact mitigation and documentation.
Section V is the reviewer's guide. This deals with the relevance of mainstreaming biodiversity into the review process, the review process itself and good practice guidance in reviewing biodiversity-inclusive EIA.
Appendices IA-IE provide overviews of the biodiversity of the countries considered - Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Appendix II covers country-specific legislation regarding biodiversity conservation.
Appendices III to V deal with national developments in the key sectors from section II (above).
Appendix VI contains details of national environmental legislation.
Appendix VII covers the legal and policy framework for biodiversity conservation and impact assessment in different South Asian countries.
Appendix VIII contains information sources for conduting biodiversity-inclusive impact assessment.
Appendix IX is dedicated to valuation methods, and
Appendix X shows the sectoral environmental legislation applicable in South Asian countries.
Links to download the manual can be found through the outputs module of this site