Guidance on conducting ecological impact assessments for developments in terrestrial, freshwater and coastal environments has been published by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.
The document aims to help practitioners identify, quantify and evaluate the potential effects of proposals on habitats, species and ecosystems. It covers scoping; establishing the baseline; identifying important ecological features and functions; assessing their impact, including cumulative effects; designing measures for avoidance, mitigation, compensation and enhancement and monitoring the success of these.
The guidance can be used for projects of any scale, including environmental impact assessments (EIAs). Josh Fothergill, policy and engagement lead at IEMA, welcomed the guide’s emphasis on proportionality and transparency, the revised approach to scoping and its expanded coverage of mitigation, compensation and enhancement. More than 90% of UK environmental statements include the findings of an ecological impact assessment, he said.