Mitigation The objectives of mitigation measures Find better

Mitigation

The objectives of mitigation measures • Find better alternatives and ways of doing things • Enhance the environmental and social benefits of the project • Avoid, minimize or remedy adverse impacts. • Ensure that residual adverse impacts are kept within acceptable levels.

From Practical Prospect, Mitigation Means: • Public should not be expected to bear costs greater than the benefits • Predictable and undesirable effects of a project should be mitigated by the proponent. • Injured parties may need to be compensated financially. • Mitigation deal with the transfer of costs and benefits between the project and the public. • Definition of "proponent " means the person, body, authority or government that proposes the project.

From Practical Prospect, Mitigation Means: • The responsibility of proponents to internalize the full environmental costs of development proposals is now accepted. • In addition, many proponents have found that: – Good design and impact management can result in significant savings. – Mitigation measures are more expensive in capital outlay but have been found to be cost effective over the long run.

The sustainability agenda: • New demands to Mitigation and Impact Management: – Increasing attention is being given to the principle of no net loss of natural and social capital. – Under, the polluter pays principle , restitution for unavoidable residual damages should be done. – In this case, mitigation would include: “in-kind compensation measures”

The main elements of mitigation are organised into a hierarchy of actions : • First, avoid adverse impacts as far as possible by use of preventative measures. • Second, minimize or reduce adverse impacts to as low as practicable levels. • Third, remedy or compensate for adverse residual impacts, which are unavoidable and cannot be reduced further.

A framework for impact mitigation

Principles of mitigation Give preference to avoid and prevent measures; Consider feasible alternatives to the proposal and identify the best practical environmental option; Identify customized measures to minimize each of the main impacts predicted; • Ensure they are appropriate, environmentally sound and cost-effective; • Use compensation or remedial measures as a last resort. • •

How could we carry out Mitigation? • Structural measures, such as design or location changes, engineering modifications and landscape or site treatment. • Non-structural measures, such as economic incentives, legal, institutional and policy instruments, provision of community services and training and capacity building.

Step One: Impact avoidance. • It can be achieved by: – Not undertaking certain projects or elements that could result in adverse impacts. – Avoiding areas that are environmentally sensitive. – Putting in place preventative measures to stop adverse impacts, e. g. release of water from a reservoir to maintain a fisheries regime.

Step Two: Impact minimization. • to limit or reduce the degree , extent , magnitude, or duration of adverse impacts • It can be achieved by: – Scaling down or relocating the proposal. – Redesigning elements of the project. – Making supplementary measures to manage the impacts.

Step Three: Impact compensation. • It can be achieved by: – Rehabilitation of the affected site or environment, e. g. : by habitat enhancement and restocking fish. – Restoration of the affected site or environment to its previous state or better, it’s required for: mine sites, forestry roads and seismic lines. – Replacement of the same resource values at another location, e. g. by wetland engineering.