Environmental and sustainability impact assessment in small islands: the case of Azores and Madeira

Abstract

This paper compares Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practices and effectiveness in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira. This was accomplished by qualitative appraisal and evaluation of the contents of EIA statements and the characterisation of the EIA practices. Data was collected from the islands' regional environmental agencies and from the Environmental Portuguese Agency internet database. The findings reveal that most EIA project practitioners and consultants in the islands are associated with the regional government agencies. Proposals were generally approved with 'conditions' and the diversity of project types were lower in the islands than in the mainland. There was limited follow-up on the EIA process so that evaluation of conditions compliance was scanty. Key areas identified for consideration in the development of good impact assessment practice in the islands included, the Islands' unique geographical and ecological characteristics, scale effects, intra-insular regional dimension, impact significance evaluation approaches, and training, education and development skills in EIA processes.

Exploring experts' views and perspectives on the enhancement of Strategic Environmental Assessment in European small islands

“…The results indicate that experts prefer having resources, human and financial, for the development of good practices and skills among practitioners. This preference intertwines with the importance given to topics considered in the questionnaire, such as guidelines, including scale guidelines, themes, assessment methods and indicators, which is consistent with what was previously suggested by Ramos et al (2009) andKerr (2005).…”

“…In addition, as highlighted by respondents, there is the possibility th on the SEA team. Though this could occur where the SEA system relies on consultants to develop the SEA process, as is the Portuguese case identified by Polido et al (2016), if the SEA is mainly developed by in-house practitioners, as observed by McLauchlan and João (2012) for the Scottish case, probably these practitioners may perceive the Nonetheless, the majority of the respondents stated that to have trained staff on SEA and sustainability-related issues is important in small islands, as suggested by Bass and Dalal-Clayton (1995) and Ramos et al (2009).…”

“…Enhancement of small islands SEA This set of questions introduced issues considered as priority areas for small islands by international community. The aim was to understand the degree of match between these priority areas Bass and Dalal-Clayton, 1995;Hay, 2013;Kerr, 2005;Payet, 2011;Ramos et al, 2009;United Nations, 2005, 1994 .…”

“…Polido et al (2014) also identified the need for stakeholders to effectively engage with the SEA process, develop SEA capacity, and start early in the decision-making process. Additionally, Ramos et al (2009) propose recommendations for environmental assessments (both SEA and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)) in the small islands context. They emphasize the role of stakeholders (namely local knowledge and cultural settings), and policy-makers in disseminating advice and guidance on impact assessment among all stakeholders.…”

“…Particularly for small islands, there may be a need to adopt specific guidelines, involving key stakeholders, and have assessment methods that weight variables according to specific island criteria and assess the decision-making against appropriate themes or issues and indicators reflecting island realities (Kerr, 2005;Ramos et al, 2009), as the priority areas developed by United Nations (2014,2005,1994) for Small Island Developing States. To explore a small island specific approach to SEA, it may be necessary to take these arguments into consideration, but as noted by Kelman (2015), scientific literature may not incorporate local contextual information, including intuitive knowledge and sense of place.…”