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Environmental Risk Assessment Overview

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13 views3 pages

Environmental Risk Assessment Overview

Uploaded by

achuminnu23381
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Environmental Risk Analysis

Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) is a process that evaluates the


likelihood or probability that adverse effects may occur to environmental
values, as a result of human activities (i.e., a formal procedure for identifying
and estimating the risk of environmental damage).

The ERA procedure is triggered prior to a significant decision affecting the


environment. It can be broken into three broad stages:

• preparation, involving collecting and examining relevant background


information, and establishing the focus for the assessment;

• conducting the assessment; and,

• interpreting, reporting and applying results of the assessment.

ERA is a support tool for policy evaluation, land use planning, and resource
management decision making. It is systematic, and can be applied in a variety
of situations, ranging from those with minimal available data and resources, to
those with detailed inventories and complex systems modelling.

ERA provides information for making reasoned decisions by defining the range
of risks associated with various options, but it does not dictate a specific
outcome. ERA also provides a mechanism for managers to communicate
forecasted risks associated with decisions, such that stakeholders and the public
are informed of the implications for environmental values.

Conceptual Framework for ERA

Environmental risk assessment is based on comparison of environmental


indicators, as they change over time. Current and predicted future ranges of
conditions are compared against the historic range of variation for those
conditions (i.e., “natural”). The base case, or the historic range of conditions, is
determined by monitoring of undisturbed areas and analysis of natural
disturbance regimes and historic records. The difference in risk between current
and historic conditions is the result of cumulative impacts of past development
and disturbance. Future conditions are based on the trends and long-term
implications of continuing present management, or the predicted outcomes of
potential alternative management options.
Assessment of environmental conditions and indicators is summarized in terms
of a “risk index,” and generally reported by means of a series of risk classes. As
a part of the risk analysis, it may be useful to define specific thresholds, or a low
risk benchmark based on best management practices.

Strengths of Environmental Risk Assessments

ERA is of particular value because it brings to the forefront the environmental


consequences of decisions. In doing so, ERA shifts the focus from justifying the
merits of a particular action or strategy, and instead, illuminates likely outcomes
and their desirability. By making explicit the factors that pose risks to the
environment, ERA requires acknowledgement of risks to the environment
before and after decisions are made. Awareness of risk encourages the
distribution of accountability and a collective sharing of responsibility for
managing that risk, and will hopefully lead to decisions that reduce risk.

ERA is also flexible, capable of being applied to complex in-depth analyses or


in situations requiring rapid response answers.

Limitations of Environmental Risk Assessment

ERA will clarify risk to the environment from a decision, but it will not be able
to set an acceptable threshold of risk. Determining acceptable risk is an issue of
risk management. Risk assessment is a basis for judgments about impacts but
not for judgments on the acceptability of impacts. Decision-makers must choose
a desired or acceptable level of risk.
ERA has the following limitations:

• risk tolerance is relative – individuals and institutions have differing


perceptions, tolerance and acceptance of risk; and,

• isolating the risks associated with a decision can be difficult – there is a range
of natural variability within ecosystems, differing tolerances to stress, and
varying rates of recovery.

Common questions

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ERA serves as a support tool for policy evaluation, land use planning, and resource management decision-making by providing systematic analysis of potential environmental risks associated with various decisions. It illuminates likely outcomes and their desirability, mandates acknowledgment of these risks before and after decisions, and thus encourages a shared responsibility for managing risk . Additionally, it uses a comparison of environmental indicators over time to define the range of risks but does not dictate a specific outcome or acceptable risk threshold .

Acknowledging risks both before and after decisions ensures that stakeholders are aware of potential environmental impacts and can adapt or modify their strategies accordingly. This proactive recognition fosters a culture of shared responsibility and accountability, leading to more thoughtful and potentially less risky environmental management decisions .

ERA's main strengths include its ability to bring environmental consequences to the forefront, shift focus from merely justifying actions to illuminating likely outcomes, and encourage distribution of accountability for risk management. ERA is also flexible, capable of detailed analyses and rapid response scenarios, unlike other tools that might be less adaptable or more rigid in application .

Historical data is used in ERA to establish a base case or a historic range of conditions by monitoring undisturbed areas and analyzing natural disturbance regimes and historic records. This base case is crucial in comparing current and predicted future conditions, which helps in identifying the risks resulting from the cumulative impact of past developments .

Isolating risks in ERA is challenging due to the inherent natural variability within ecosystems, differing stress tolerances, and various recovery rates. These attributes mean that environmental systems react differently to disturbances, complicating the identification of specific risks associated with decisions. This variability necessitates a nuanced and flexible approach in ERA to accurately assess environmental impacts .

ERA enhances stakeholder communication by making explicit the factors that pose risks to the environment and requiring the acknowledgment of these risks before and after decision-making processes. It provides a mechanism for managers to communicate forecasted risks to stakeholders and the public, ensuring informed consideration of environmental values .

The ERA risk index quantifies and summarizes the risk associated with environmental conditions and indicators as they change over time. It is typically reported through a series of risk classes, providing a clear representation of potential environmental impacts and helping to inform decision-makers of the possible consequences of different management actions .

ERA can clarify the risks associated with a decision but is limited in setting an acceptable threshold of risk. The determination of acceptable risk is part of risk management rather than the assessment process itself. This requires decision-makers to choose a desired level of risk, which can be challenging given that perceptions and tolerance of risk vary among individuals and institutions, and isolating specific risks can be difficult due to ecosystem variability and differing stress tolerances .

ERA is highly adaptable to situations with minimal available data and resources as well as those that involve detailed inventories and complex models. It provides a systematic approach that can scale to the data's availability and complexity, offering valuable insights for decision-makers in both data-rich and data-poor environments .

The conceptual framework of ERA facilitates environmental management by comparing current and predicted future conditions against historic ranges of variation. This allows decision-makers to assess the cumulative impacts of development on environmental indicators, summarize findings with a risk index, and communicate these through a series of risk classes. Consequently, it helps define management practices and communicate necessary thresholds to safeguard environmental values .

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