INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL-IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been identified as an import ant instrument for facilitating sustainability. However, to do so requ ires the integration oi sustainability into EIA theory and practice. T he sustainability concept is a Valid and important environmental manag ement perspective. However, many issues and obstacles need to be addre ssed further if the concept is to be translated into practical strateg ies. Sustainability can potentially infuse EIA with a clearer sense of direction, an ethical foundation, a mechanism for establishing priori ties and assessing choices, and a means of linking EIA to other enviro nmental management instruments. Conceptually, EIA and sustainability c an be integrated, but frameworks should be refined, adpated to context , and linked to related initiatives. Sustainability should be explicit ly incorporated into EIA legislation, guidelines, and institutional ar rangements. An experimental approach to testing, assessing, and sharin g experiences is suggested. A framework is first presented that define s and characterizes the sustainability concept. A further framework is then described for integrating sustainability into EIA at the concept ual level. The integration of sustainability and EIA at the regulatory level is next addressed through an overview oi sustainability initiat ives in EIA requirements in Canada. The Canadian examples include many promising initiatives but these and other experiences will need to be monitored, shared, and integrated into comprehensive environmental ma nagement strategies. Finally, means of incorporating sustainability in to each activity in the EIA planning process are identified.