ABSTRACT
Most countries with requirements and procedures for performing an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) require the work to include an assessment of the potential for ecological impacts. Most policies and regulations requiring Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) also include a requirement to address the implications for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Most policies and regulations requiring Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) also include a requirement to address the implications for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Global environmental change introduces further challenges. Climate change, in particular, is altering baseline scenarios for many ecosystems and increasing uncertainty about future trends. This chapter provides an overview of Ecologically Focused Impact Assessment (EcIA), and focuses on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. It provides a brief explanation of definitions and concepts that are particularly relevant to EcIA. Several aspects of an ecosystem – energy, biomass and productivity – are often overlooked in EcIA.
