Environmental resources valuation in environmental impact assessment: towards an efficient valuation system

Abstract

Each European Union state member performs analysis on certain projects possible impacts on the environment through the instrument of Environmental Impact Assessment. This procedure has been implemented on each member state level, being altered and improved e several occasions, finding itself under constant evolution. The content of that assessment verified in the correspondent documents of the EIA, specifically in the Environmental Impact Statement, appear to be somewhat subjective, being that the description of the affected environmental resources by the project implementation under that procedure is presented with a certain level of abstraction. This work looks forward to present ways to enhance the objectivity and consequently the clearness of those Environmental Impact Assessments, focusing mainly on demonstrate the valuation the environmental resources affected by the Environmental Impact Assessment project, allowing a better comprehension by the stakeholders about the real value of the pre-existent resources in the area of the project. The great problematic directly linked to the resources valuation is centred in the easy monetary value attribution whenever a resources has a market price counter pointing the remaining non-marketed resources. Such approach involves the adoption of a classification system of ecosystem goods and services, particularly in this case the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services that comprises the environmental resources considered in the Environmental Impact Assessments Finally the application of the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services approach integrated in the Environmental Impact Assessment is demonstrated and the valuation of the environmental resources is performed through the benefit transfer method serving as example for the potentiality of this procedure