Abstract

GIS Modelling as a Unifying Tool in Environmental Impact Assessments
Track: Environmental Management
Authors: Luke Powell

Environmental impact assessments are critical to understanding a project’s effects on the landscape. EIAs consist of many scientific studies, but rarely are their results considered in sum. This paper describes the use of GIS as a central tool in EIAs, using a probability/consequence model that unifies fisheries, wildlife, and terrestrial ecosystem value components into a complete assessment of risk to the landscape, and discusses future work to include the social and human environment.