Routledge Methods of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (Natural and Built Environment Series)

Environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) is an important and often obligatory part of proposing or launching any development project. Delivering a successful ESIA needs not only an understanding of the theory but also a detailed knowledge of the methods for carrying out the processes required. Riki Therivel and Graham Wood bring together the latest advice on best practice from experienced practitioners to ensure an ESIA is carried out effectively and efficiently. This new edition: • explains how an ESIA works and how it should be carried out • demonstrates the links between socio-economic, cultural, environmental and ecological systems and assessments • incorporates the World Bank’s IFC performance standards, and best practice examples from developing as well as developed countries • includes new chapters on emerging ESIA topics such as climate change, ecosystem services, cultural impacts, resource efficiency, land acquisition and involuntary resettlement. Invaluable to undergraduate and MSc students of ESIA on planning, ecology, geography and environment courses, this internationally oriented fourth edition of Methods of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment is also of great use to planners, ESIA practitioners and professionals seeking to update their skills. Review “This book is a blockbuster reference work. It is a one-stop shop for all you need to know on the concepts, issues, steps and methods of ESIA across an array of themes. It will be an essential source for practitioners, decision-makers and academics around the world.”Barry Dalal-Clayton, Director, Environment and Development Services (EDS) – International “Written by top experts in the field, this book constitutes an important resource for people who need to understand the process and products of environmental impact assessment. Both technical approaches and conceptual challenges are described in a way that novice readers can understand, but that experienced practitioners will also appreciate.” Marla Orenstein, President, IAIA “This is the ultimate cross-cutting international resource to understand how to design and carry out impact assessment for virtually any environmental or social component.”Angus Morrison-Saunders, Associate Professor in Environmental Assessment, Murdoch University, Australia About the Author Riki Therivel is a partner of Levett-Therivel sustainability consultants, and a visiting professor at the School of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University. Graham Wood is a Reader in Environmental Assessment and Management at the School of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University.