NEW METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES IN ENVIRONMENTAL-IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Environmental impact assessment represents an effective preventive sys tem against damage to the environment that is based on prognosis and a ssessment of presumed positive and negative impacts of development pro jects and policies. Primarily the acts on environmental impact assessm ent have had great influence on decision making processes in the spher e of environmental, social and economic development on national and gl obal levels. The article analyses the contemporary research priorities on the basis of the results of important international conferencies a nd workshops, numerous of methodological guidelines, textbooks, final reports and studies in the area of environmental impact assessment. Th e main priorities in basic research are: cumulative effects analysis, decision analysis acid relationships between the strategic environment al assessment and concept of sustainability; in applied research they are: evaluation of the results of the monitoring and post-project anal ysis, involvement of public in the assessment process and improvement of the effectiveness of the decision-making processes.