ZAMBIA'S NATIONAL POLICY ON ENVIRONMENT

Final draft, May 2005. Still requiring ratification.

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4. Environmental Impact Assessment, Audits and Monitoring

a) Objective To develop a system and guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), audits, monitoring, and evaluation so that adverse environmental impacts can be eliminated or mitigated and environmental benefits enhanced.

b) Guiding Principles
• EIAs will be required as deemed necessary to ensure that public and private sector development options are environmentally sound and sustainable and that any environmental consequences are recognized early and taken into account in project design, and implementation.
• Obligatory IEE screening will precede EIAs to determine whether full EIAs are required for the specific site in question.
• EIAs will consider not only biophysical impact but will also address environmental impact in terms of existing social, economic, political and cultural conditions.
• Environmental Mitigation Plans for social and environmental impacts will be required for all activities where the EIA has determined a negative environmental threshold.
• Environmental Audits, including inspections, record-keeping and monitoring will be required for activities as determined by the mitigation plans or otherwise.
• Environmental Impact Assessments and Statements shall be made public and public comments on them invited and taken into consideration.
• EIA procedures should be cost effective, appropriate, reasonable and commensurate with the size, scope and relative impacts of the project or programme in question.
• Obligatory decommissioning plans are required for mining operations and major industrial undertakings for specific locations
c) Strategies
• Review guidelines and existing standards for IEEs and EIAs in light of the National Policy on Environment.
• Gazette the types and sizes of all projects for which environmental impact assessment may be required.
• Require that any person, private or public organization desiring to develop a project for which an environ