Environmental Impact Assessment
Course content
The aim of the course is to introduce the components and
structure of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as well as
discuss how national guidelines and requirements for EIAs
influence the outcome.
Modern EIA includes both environmental and social impacts of
development projects, hence the course is interdisciplinary by
nature and is relevant for a range of academic disciplines.
Students will obtain a comprehensive overview and thorough
knowledge of EIA procedures and methodologies.
An EIA requires insights into a wide spectrum of methodologies and
procedures, as well as a range of professional qualifications.
Current EIAs include an evaluation of environmental, economic,
social and cultural impacts. EIA is a rapidly evolving and
expanding field of activity and an important professional field for
candidates interested in natural resource management and
development. The course will introduce basic concepts and generic
methodologies, and will focus on EIA within the fields of
agriculture and forestry, natural resource management,
infrastructure and water resource management projects. The problems
and pitfalls of EIA will be discussed. The course is mainly
focusing on EIA in developing countries, but examples from Denmark
and other countries are also used.
After completing the course, the students should have a
comprehensive overview and thorough knowledge of EIA procedures and
relevant EIA methodologies. In combination with the professional
knowledge from their individual disiplinary backgrounds, the
students should be able to contribute to design and implementation
of EIAs.
Course contents:
-The aims and history of EIA
-Development of EIA, e.g. 'Strategic Environmental
Assessment' and 'Social Impact Assessment'.
-Guidelines and administrative procedures
-Public involvement
-The EIA-process (initial work, screening, scoping, assessing,
mitigation and impact management, reporting, reviewing, decision
making, monitoring/implementing/auditing)
-Methodology: Checklists, matrices, models, expert systems,
networks etc.
-EIA-management (incl. economic valuation)
The course will use case studies to illustrate the EIA process.
MSc Programme in Biology
MSc Programme in Environment and Development
MSc Programme in Environmental Science
MSc Programme in Geography and Geoinformatics
MSc Programme in Global Environment and Development
MSc Programme in Sustainable Forest and Nature Management
The aim of the course is to introduce the components and
structure of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as well as
discuss how national guidelines and requirements for EIAs
influences the outcome.
Knowledge:
-Show overview of the components of an EIA and their respective
requirements and outputs
Skills:
- explain specific methods and tools used in EIA
- apply assessment principles and expand applicability to other
cases
Competences:
- apply methods and approaches used in environmental impact
assessment (EIA) outside own disciplinary field.
- discuss impacts and weigh them against benefits from concrete
development projects
- evaluate desirability of development plans based on an evaluation
of impacts, mitigation options and the likely
benefits.
Lectures followed by class discussions and exercises with case material. Severeal guest lecturers with practical experience from developing countries and international donor organisations will be invited during the course. Group work, partly dealing with case studies. Role games. Individual preparation and group work. Guided excursion
The course is relevant for students with an interest in
environmental management in developing countries. All disciplines
are welcomed.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is
recommended.
Feedback will be given continuously through discussions in class and with groups. Feedback on the ToR and group reports will be given after the exam.
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Oral examination, 20 minWritten assignment
- Type of assessment details
- Two mandatory group reports are submitted during the course, which, together, contribute with 40% of the final mark. The rest of the final mark (60%) is based on an individual oral exam in the written reports and the general curriculum. In order to pass the course both the written and the oral parts of the exam have to be passed even if the weighted average is enough to pass.
- Exam registration requirements
-
Participation in group assignments and full participation in 2 group reports.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
- Re-exam
-
As the ordinary exam.
If the exam requirement is not fulfilled three written assignments (2 exam cases and one review of the course curricula) must be handed in and approved no later than three weeks prior to reexamination
Criteria for exam assessment
See the learning outcome
Single subject courses (day)
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 30
- Class Instruction
- 30
- Preparation
- 88
- Excursions
- 7
- Project work
- 50
- Exam
- 1
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- LNAK10010U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 block
- Placement
- Block 4
- Schedulegroup
-
C
- Capacity
- No limitation – unless you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student.
- Studyboard
- Study Board of Natural Resources, Environment and Animal Science
Contracting department
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
- Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- Sander Bruun (3-83717250807c757e3e7b853e747b)
- Ole Mertz (2-7d7b4e77757c3c79833c7279)
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