ABSTRACT

Recognising the value of GIS in screening environmental impacts, the South African government has introduced a web-based Screening Tool as a mandatory part of the EIA application process. The Tool draws on numerous databases to depict sensitive attributes of proposed development sites. Enforcement of the Tool has implications for how EIAs are conducted, in terms of both scope and cost. In this paper we present the results of preliminary research into user perceptions of the accuracy and utility of the Tool. Findings from a national survey and several semi-structured interviews show that most users are not confident that the Tool accurately assigns sensitivity ratings according to various environmental themes. Notwithstanding this finding, overall opinion is that the Tool has potential to improve the scientific robustness of the EIA process. It is recommended that practitioners and specialists are involved in further development of the Tool to increase accuracy of the sensitivity ratings. We conclude more generally that integration of GIS can compensate for knowledge gaps and enhance the scientific veracity of EIA.

摘要

认识到 GIS 在筛选环境影响方面的价值，南非政府引入了基于网络的筛选工具作为 EIA 申请过程的强制性部分。该工具利用大量数据库来描述拟议开发地点的敏感属性。该工具的实施在范围和成本方面对环境影响评估的执行方式有影响。在本文中，我们介绍了用户对该工具的准确性和实用性的看法的初步研究结果。一项全国性调查和几次半结构化访谈的结果表明，大多数用户对该工具根据各种环境主题准确分配敏感性评级没有信心。尽管有这一发现，但总体意见是该工具有可能提高 EIA 过程的科学稳健性。建议从业人员和专家参与该工具的进一步开发，以提高敏感性评级的准确性。我们更普遍地得出结论，GIS 的整合可以弥补知识差距并提高 EIA 的科学准确性。