Abstract
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been widely recognized as being beneficial to various stakeholders during the development of a variety of projects. In Kenya, the legal framework for EIA was set out in 1999 following enactment of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA), and further formalized in 2003 through the Environmental (Impact Assessment and Audit) Regulations. These two legislations make EIA a legal requirement for specified projects in Kenya. Spatial information, on the other hand, due to its ability to illustrate the relationship between objects and their physical location, has been used within EIA to demonstrate the interaction between project components and specific aspects of the environment, hence enabling the establishment of potential project impacts on the environment, and the formulation of adequate mitigation measures. Using proportionate sampling, a review of EIA study reports submitted between 2002 and 2010 to Kenya’s environment agency, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), was carried out to establish whether spatial information was used. Numerous types of spatial information were used in 93% of the EIA studies reviewed, and included photographs, plans, maps, satellite images and sketches among others. Suggestions are thereafter made regarding the use of spatial information within the EIA process in Kenya.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the Applied Geoinformatics for Society and Environment (AGSE) Fourth International Summer School and Conference: 2011 |
| Place of Publication | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Pages | 7 |
| Publication status | Published - 2011 |
| Event | AGSE 2011 Fourth International Summer School and Conference - Duration: 15 Aug 2011 → 19 Aug 2011 |
Conference
| Conference | AGSE 2011 Fourth International Summer School and Conference |
|---|---|
| Period | 15/08/11 → 19/08/11 |