Environmental Impact Evaluation

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Objectives

The course is focused on several topics, through formal classes and the development of several capacities as
critical-thinking, integration and analysis of scientific knowledge and communication. Eight objectives were
defined:
Understand the importance of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as an instrument of environmental
management and a preventive tool of environmental policy and land management, and the historical evolution of
the concept.
Understand the objective and the expected results of EIA.
Characterize the regulatory and institutional framework in the EU, PT and the RAA.
Understand the structure, language and tools of EIA.
Understand the usual methods for evaluation and prediction of environmental impacts.
Understand the selection and application of environmental indicators and the monitoring methods.
Understand the structure, language and tools of Strategic Environmental Assessment.
Characterize the EIA practice in Portugal and in the Azores

Program

1. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); objectives and expected results; historical evolution; EIA basic and operational principles. 2. Regulatory and institutional framework in the EU, Portugal and the Azores; legislation and responsible institutions; the EIA procedure; the Environmental Impact Statement. 3. The EIA; structure, language and objectives; non-technical summary; public consultation; post-evaluation. 4. Evaluation and prediction of impacts; expert groups (brainstorming); checklists and matrices; the Leopold matrice; network and diagrams; simulation models; examples for air quality, water quality, soils and geology, noise and cultural heritage. 5. Environmental monitoring and EIA; selection of environmental indicators; the pressure-state-response model; common examples. 6. Strategic Environmental Assessment; objective, expected results, regulatory and institutional framework in the EU, Portugal and the Azores. 7. EIA practice in Portugal; the Azores case study.

Teaching Methodologies

A unidade curricular é lecionada através da combinação de atividades em ambiente presencial, com atividades assíncronas suportadas pela plataforma de gestão de aprendizagem (Moodle) disponível na Universidade dos Açores.
O ensino teórico e prático da disciplina de Avaliação de Impacte Ambiental será baseado numa sucessão de lições dos dois tipos, complementares:
Aulas teóricas: baseado no MS Power Point, em que a matéria é explanada de uma forma graficamente atrativa, com recurso, sempre que aplicável, a casos de estudo.
Aulas práticas: incluem a resolução de problemas e a discussão de casos de estudo.
Avaliação: realização de um trabalho monográfico, sobre um tema enquadrado no programa lecionado, nomeadamente o desenvolvimento de um EIA piloto.

Bibliography

Canter, L. W. (1996) - Environmental Impact Assessment. McGraw-Hill, 2nd. Ed., New York.
(Canter, L. W. (2003) - Manual de Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental. McGraw-Hill, Madrid. )
Pacheco, J.C. (2008) – Uma análise dos estudos de impacte ambiental nos Açores (2000 a 2007). Dissertação de Mestrado em Ambiente, Saúde e Segurança, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada.
Partidário, M.R. & Jesus, J. (Eds.), 1994. Avaliação de Impacte Ambiental – Conceitos, Procedimentos e Aplicações.
CEPGA, Lisboa.
Partidário, M.R. & Jesus, J. (2003) - Fundamentos de Avaliação de Impacte Ambiental. Univ. Aberta, Lisboa.
Wood, C. 82003) - Environmental impact assessment: a comparative review. Prentice-Hall, 2nd. Ed., Upper Saddle River.

Code

0200879

ECTS Credits

2.5

Classes

  • Teóricas - 15 hours

Evaluation Methodology

  • Monographic paper: 100%