The principles of EIA follow-up

EIA Follow-Up is emerging as an increasingly important and critical component of good EIA practice and an essential bridge between the pre-consent and post-decision phases of development. As one of the few truly international organisations addressing EIA, IAIA has an important role in strengthening EIA capacity building and establishing best practice within specific areas of EIA activity. During the last 5 years, annual sessions on EIA Follow-Up have been organised and held during the annual IAIA conferences. These sessions have attracted a wide range of practitioners who have presented practical work and discussed the interest in this area. It was suggested by participants at IAIA’03 in Marrakesh, Morocco, that at IAIA= 04 the concepts and experience developed to date should be communicated a wider set of principles for EIA Follow-Up. The Principles of EIA Follow-Up are designed primarily for reference and use by those professionally involved in environmental impact assessment and post-decision project environmental management. The aim is to promote familiarity and the practice of EIA Follow-Up within the institutional and corporate procedures for EIA practiced internationally. To accommodate flexibility and local interpretation, the principles will be presented as broad, generic and non-prescriptive concepts. This is to emphasis that EIA Follow-Up can take many forms and can be applied at all levels of EIA and across different types of development.