Open Collections

Laye, Evan J

University of British Columbia

Over the past several decades, attempts at protecting biodiversity and halting further declines have fallen short of achieving the objectives of international biodiversity conservation initiatives. While both international and national biodiversity strategies have identified Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as an important mechanism for conserving biodiversity, the inadequate consideration of biodiversity within environmental and development decision-making processes has contributed to the general failure to protect biodiversity. EIA functions as an important mechanism for environmental decision-making in Canada, and it is imperative that EIA processes are inclusive of biodiversity considerations such that decision made within EIA processes contribute to the sustainable use of biological resources and the conservation of biodiversity overall. This research was designed to help enhance the consideration of biodiversity in Canadian EIA such that the process could increase its effectiveness as a biodiversity conservation mechanism by integrating biodiversity more explicitly into the decision-making infrastructure of the Canadian EIA system, and build towards EIA processes that contribute net-positive impacts on biodiversity. The objectives of the research are, a) to understand the current status of biodiversity consideration in Canadian EIA, including any specific gaps or challenges that limit the ability for EIA to practically address biodiversity; and, B) identify how biodiversity can be practically considered within EIA under the Canadian Impact Assessment Act (IAA). These objectives were achieved through a literature review exploring biodiversity in Canadian EIA, with a focus on the decision-making infrastructure of the IAA. A subsequent survey of EIA practitioners was completed to gain key input ton the practice of biodiversity integration within EIA processes. The research results are synthesized into a set of principles to guide the practical consideration of biodiversity in EIA grounded in the legislative decision-making infrastructure (i.e., the IAA's public interest test),a nd include recommendations on approaches that can be taken in a project-specific context. The principles are intended to be mutually-useful to practitioners from both regulatory and non-regulatory backgrounds/affiliations to strengthen the capacity of Canadian EIA to address project-related impacts on biodiversity, progression of EIA as a biodiversity conservation tool, and contribute to the advancement of Canada's biodiversity objectives.

Text

2024-08-23

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89022

Earth and Environmental Sciences

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/