An investigation of environmental impact assessment status and implementation in Syria
2009
Haydar, F.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as internationally considered a useful tool to achieve sustainable development, was first introduced in Syria in 1995 as a draft of EIA decree. Until issuing EIA regulation in 2008, this draft had been used by EIA Department of the General Commission for Environmental Affairs (GCEA) to administer the approval process of proposed developments. EIA implementation was strengthened by the provision of Environmental Law No. 50 of 2002, which was later amended by Law No. 17 of 2004, supported by the provision of executive procedures of the Law, and by annexes setting the national standards to determine the accepted levels of various types of emissions. However, the implementation of EIA in Syria was described as of poor compliance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the Syrian EIA system focusing on the shortcomings of its functioning, through interviewing EIA stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of EIA practice, so that suggesting ways by which these might be overcome. To achieve this aim, a systematic evaluation criteria developed and proposed by Wood (2003) vere used, Furthermore, in order to achieve a context-specific evaluation and propose feasible recommendations, an investigation of the Syrian economic and environmental status and priorities/challenges of the country was carried out to develop an overview of the pressures imposed on the environment, and to show the importance of effective EIA implementation within the sphere of urgent need for faster economic growth and the already degraded environment.
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