Environmental Impact Assessment in the marine environment: A comparison of legal frameworks

Autor(es)

Guerra, Flavia ^{[1, 2]} ; Grilo, Catarina ^[2] ; Pedroso, Nuno M. ^{[3, 4]} ; Cabral, Henrique ^[5]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Vrije Univ Amsterdam, Inst Environm Studies, NL-1081 HV Amsterdam - Netherlands

^[2] Liga Proteccao Nat, P-1500124 Lisbon - Portugal

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Ecol Isotop CENA, BR-13416000 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Lisbon, Fac Ciencias, Ctr Ecol Evolut & Environm Changes cE3c, P-1749016 Lisbon - Portugal

^[5] Univ Lisbon, Fac Ciencias, MARE Marine & Environm Sci Ctr, P-1749016 Lisbon - Portugal

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW; v. 55, p. 182-194, NOV 2015.
• Citações Web of Science: 5

Resumo

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a well-established practice in most developed countries, even though its application to projects in the marine environment is at a much earlier stage of development. We use the Portuguese example to address marine EIA legislation since its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is currently the third largest in the European Union and its EIA legislation does not require various offshore activities with potentially negative environmental impacts to undergo EIA before being licensed. This paper aims to determine whether three types of projects implemented within Portuguese maritime zones - artificial reefs using sunken ships, hydrocarbon prospecting and wave-energy generation - would benefit from application of an appropriately designed EIA. We have conducted a structured review of EIA legal provisions from seven other countries, and considered whether a full EIA was required for each project type. Consequently, 12 Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) have been compared to identify patterns of (dis)similarity across countries and project types. Additionally, we identified key descriptors and predicted impacts for each project type referred to in their EIS. The main conclusion is that ultimately all three projects would benefit from mandatory EIA in Portugal. This paper is relevant for countries with large maritime areas and underdeveloped marine EIA legislation, helping improve international policy-making relating to these three types of marine projects. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 14/08601-6 - Mamíferos semi-aquáticos em ambientes alterados pelo homem: constrangimentos ecológicos e ambientais
• Beneficiário: Nuno Miguel Peres Sampaio Pedroso
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado