Testing environmental impacts of development projects

Overview

It is noted that identifying with protection and enhancement of natural resources as central to EC development support, articles 33-41 (of the Lome IV Convention) focuses on three principles: a preventive approach aimed at avoiding negative impacts on the environment as a result of any programme or operation; a systematic approach for ecological feasibility studies at all stages, from identification to implementation of a programme or operation; and a multi-disciplinary and trans-sectoral approach, taking direct and indirect consequences of EC-supported initiatives into account. The paper addresses these needs, with the goal being to develop a systematic procedure for the Belgian Agency of Development Cooperation (BADC) to test the potential environmental impacts of development projects before these are implemented. The BADC aims to avoid sponsoring projects that have a negative impact on the environment in the broadest sense. A comparative study is presented of guidelines and procedures, drawing mainly on the EC environment manual, the OECD guidelines on environment and aid, and the various environmental guidelines of the OECF, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.

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