ABSTRACT
Following the initial establishment of practices and procedures for impact assessment, which characterized much of the early years of EIA during the late 1970s and into the 1980s, attention swung to evaluating the quality of EIAs, and the first follow-up studies appeared (Caldwell et al, 1982; Bisset, 1984; Sadler 1987a, b). In the wider EIA literature at this time, much was written about the scientific integrity of EIA (Caldwell, 1982; Beanlands and Duinker, 1984; Culhane et al, 1987). Debate included the role of science in EIA and how scientific approaches could be utilized to overcome uncertainties concerning predicted environmental effects and to achieve rational outcomes. The use of scientific approaches in EIA is equally relevant to follow-up activities. This chapter focuses on scientific approaches to EIA follow-up monitoring for a major case study project in the US which attempted to determine environmental impacts and the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
