ABSTRACT
276In order to assess changes that will result from a project, it is necessary to understand the existing environmental and social conditions, and the likely changes that would occur in the absence of the project. This understanding is commonly referred to as the ‘baseline’. The baseline also provides benchmark data for identifying and measuring actual changes based on monitoring data generated during mine operation, which then can be used to assess the accuracy of impact predictions made at the mine planning stage. But how much baseline data is needed? There is no fixed number; rather the spatial and temporal extent, numbers of sampling or observation sites and parameters to be studied will depend on the environmental situation, the nature of the proposed project, and the concerns of stakeholders as identified through the scoping process. In the documentation of the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) the baseline description should be relatively brief, and not used to inflate the document with largely irrelevant information. Excessive data collection with little relevance to potential change is a waste of time and money, and so is data presentation without data interpretation. A good measure of relevance is the ‘so what?’ test. If an item can be deleted without any detriment to the interpretations and assessments, then it should not be included, providing of course that the item is not in response to regulation or stakeholder request.
