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| Many development projects are expected to adversely affect our environmental resources, while environmental degradation either in the form of pollution or depletion of natural resources can undermine economic development |
Introduction
Rapid pace of economic development in the State in the last two decades has invariably placed a rather heavy burden on the well-being of the people, the environment and our natural resources. In order to ensure a balanced and sustainable development, there is definitely a need to integrate environmental and socio-economic dimensions into the development planning and decision-making process. Towards this end, the State government has enacted the Natural Resources and Environment Ordinance 1993, which forms the basis for environmental protection and conservation of natural resources in the State. Subsequently, with its subsidiary legislation, the Natural Resources and Environment (Prescribed Activities) Order 1994, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was made a mandatory requirement before any "Prescribed Development activities" can be undertaken. An EIA has been considered a planning and management tool for project development, but to what extent has the socio-economic dimension been taken into consideration.
Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to give an overview of an EIA process based on the experiences of the Natural Resources and Environment Board Sarawak (NREB), particularly, with respect to the integration of the socio-economic dimensions into project development in Sarawak. Basically, Social Impact Assessment (SIA) can be either part or an offshoot of an EIA. Attempts will, therefore, be made to determine whether there is a need for a SIA to be done separately alongside with an EIA. Essentially, both are concerned with sustainable development and environmental protection; however, the SIA findings and recommendations would render development projects to be more sustainable and acceptable to the local communities.
The Needs for Sustainable and Socially Acceptable Development
At the national and State level, economic growth had been the most important national challenge and a target that everyone wanted to be achieved. We all need development to cater for our needs and rising expectations, and as such, development will continue to be intensified for the promotion of better or more desirable standard of life for its people. On the other hand, many development projects are expected to adversely affect our environmental resources, while environmental degradation either in the form of pollution or depletion of natural resources can undermine economic development. It is no doubt that without proper planning and control, many of our development activities will not be sustainable.
It has been proven worldwide that without proper consideration and protection for our natural environment, any development will be at the cost of even greater human suffering, and will create even more serious and pervasive ecological damage to the biosphere. Being relatively wellendowed with its natural resources, it is even more critical for the State to actively pursue a development that is more environmentally sound and sustainable.
At the same time, development should be socially acceptable and compatible to the local communities as most of the time they are one of the important stakeholders of development. Through various experiences, there is increasing recognition that people’s participation is a central feature and unquestionable complement for the success and sustainability of any development programmes and projects. While it is important to have the participation of the community, community acceptance is equally crucial in order to effect positive social change and sustainable social development.
It has been proven that any effort through protection and exclusion measures will not be sustainable but instead often resulted in considerable local resistance. It is, therefore, increasingly recognized that a collaborative effort be undertaken with the local community for any development projects that affect them either directly or indirectly.
It is well recognized thateconomic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development. Internationally, these close relationship have been well recognized as in the United Nations World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen 1995, the Copenhagen Declaration set the focus as follows: "We are deeply convinced that economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development, which is the framework for our efforts to achieve higher quality of life for all people." (UNWSSD)1
Since the development and environmental protection are closely interrelated, integrating environment and social dimension into planning and decision-making process cannot be under-estimated. As such, recently, at the National level, the need to have a separate and specific study on the social environment, particularly, a Social Impact Assessment or SIA to determine the socioeconomic impacts of development upon the local community has been mooted. Facing with the inevitable challenges and ever-increasing social problems, development projects cannot afford to inadequately address or let alone disregard the importance of such pertinent issues. The objectives are in line with the intention to ensure that development projects are sustainable and socially acceptable to the local community.
Environmental Protection for Development Projects
The government effort and initiative for the protection of environment and natural resources has been implemented through the enactment of various legislations, both at the Federal and State level. In Sarawak, the basis of environmental protection for development projects comes in the form of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). Under the Natural Resources and Environment (Prescribed Activities) Order, 1994, it has been mandatory for any prescribed activities to be subject to an EIA process, in which the findings of the study for any proposed project are adopted as environmental protection and enhancement measures.
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| Development should be socially acceptable and compatible to the local communities as most of the time they are one of the important stakeholders of development |
The basic policy foundation of EIA is to ensure that the environmental impacts of development proposals are analysed, assessed and then taken into account within the planning and decision-making processes of both the private and public sectors. In practice, the application of EIA leads to the imposition of environmental management conditions upon the proponents of development proposals so as to safeguard the environment, which include the human and social environment. The conduct of scientific and systematic assessment on the impact of development activities on the environment has been recognized worldwide as one of the effective tools to prevent the degradation of environmental quality and natural resources, as well as, to make the projects socially compatible and acceptable to the local population.
Based on the aforesaid Order, there are seven broad categories of development activities, which require mandatory ElAs, namely :-
(i) Agricultural development; (ii) Logging; (iii) Development of commercial, industrial and housing estates; (iv) Activities, which may pollute inland water or affect sources of water supply; (v) Fisheries and activities which may endanger marine or aquatic life, plants in inland waters or erosion of river banks; (vi) Extension and removal of rock materials and mining; and (vii) Any further activities, which may damage or have an adverse impact on quality of environment or natural resources of the State.
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Therefore, EIA reports are required and need to be approved by the NREB before any of these activities could be carried out. EIA approval conditions are given to the project proponents to undertake mitigating and environmental control measures to protect the environment and conserve the natural resources, as well as, to make the projects socially acceptable to the local population. The overall objective is to ensure that environmental and socio - economic considerations are properly integrated into the development planning and decision-making processes.
References
Vanclay F & Bronstein DA (Eds) (1995). Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester UK.
Wildman P & Baker G (1985). The social impact assessment handbook: How to assess and evaluate social impacts of resource development on local communities. Social Impact Publications, Armidale.
A handbook of the Policy and basic procedure of EIA in Sarawak, NREB, 1995
Taylor C.N, Bryan C.H. and Goodrich C.G. (2004), Social Assessment: Theory, Process and Techniques, Social Ecology Press, Middleton-Wisconsin.
* Extract of paper presented at the International Conference on Natural Resources and Environment Management 2005 in Kuching (28-29th November 2005)
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