Session Description
The output of any Impact Assessment (IA) process is a report providing the evidence base for a regulatory decision to approve or refuse a proposal. As proposals inevitably have both positive and negative impacts, this final regulatory decision necessitates trade-offs between the sustainability benefits and costs of proceeding. In practice, this usually translates to balancing ecological protection, cultural values, economic development, and social expectations.
While the ultimate decision, and the balance of factors in that decision, is at the discretion of the statutorily authorised decision-maker, there remain concerns that IA reports do not clearly set out the required trade-offs, or make it clear when irreversible or long-term impacts on significant ecological, cultural or other values will occur (Morrison-Saunders & Pope, 2013, Baresi et al., 2017). This has several implications, including stifling opportunities to focus in on avoidance of trade-offs (Gibson 2013), and enabling situations such as the authorisation of destruction of known sites of First Nations and National heritage significance at Juurkan George in Western Australia to allow a mining project to proceed.
Frameworks for evaluating trade-offs have been developed in academic settings (e.g., Gibson 2013 & Morrison-Saunders & Pope 2013). However, it is rare to see these applied in IA reports. We contend that a gap exists between research and practice in the way that trade-offs are identified, evaluated and reported. This session is part of a larger research project aimed at understanding the gap's causes and consequences and identify opportunities to close it.
Session Summary
IA reports should support regulatory decision-makers to identify and balance trade-offs, leading to a better sustainability focus. However, there is a gap between theoretical trade-off frameworks and practice. This session will present background research on this gap, before opening to audience input and reflection.
Additional Information
The references cited:
Baresi, U., Vella, K. J., & Sipe, N. G. (2017). Bridging the divide between theory and guidance in strategic environmental assessment: A path for Italian regions. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 62, 14-24.
Gibson, R. B. (2013). Avoiding sustainability trade-offs in environmental assessment. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 31(1), 2-12.
Morrison-Saunders, A., & Pope, J. (2013). Conceptualising and managing trade-offs in sustainability assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 38, 54-63.
Session Chair
Lara Mottee
Queensland University of Technology
Australia
Session Co-chair
Claire Gronow
Lock the Gate Alliance
Australia