12.

Specific processes in Environmental Impact Assessment

Health Impact Assessment

The method for assessing impacts on the population is the risk analysis or risk assessment, which, in the conventional risk assessment, consists of four follow-up steps:

• Hazard identification
• Determining the dose-response relationship
• Exposure assessment
• Risk characterization

Climate change assessment

The climate change assessment is a new phenomenon that was brought into our legislation by the so-called Transposition Amendment to EIA Act (see above). So far this assessment, with exceptions, has not been included in the mandatory content of the EIA Report. Nevertheless, possible elements of this assessment can be found in the project preparation of buildings, but not in such a uniform and comprehensive form.

The current situation in the context of global climate change brings new issues that require comprehensive and systemic solutions in line with the prevention principle. The European Union countries are adopting strategies in this area that address, in particular, adaptation to these global changes, from which the requirements are derived to complement pre-project and project preparation of plans. It is mainly about the following three issues which are specifically solvable in the assessment of plans:

• Defining the risks (and assessing them) that climate change brings in relation to the territory and specific plan
• Suggesting adaptation measures
• Addressing mitigating measures

Impact of transport structures on the environment (landscape fragmentation)

Part of the EIA Report is a number of specialized sub-studies and expert’s opinions that are used as the basis for a comprehensive assessment of the environmental consequences of plans. In the case of line transport structures, one of them is the Migration Study which is an important tool for eliminating or mitigating one of the most fundamental environmental impacts, which is the fragmentation of landscape. They are also of great economic importance for investors, because bridge structures are the most expensive part of the construction.

Practical examples of the use of Migration Studies

D1 – Kývalka (forests west of Brno)

Within the EIA Report on the widening of the existing motorway, the migration route of large mammals was verified in the section of the D1 motorway (in the route of the supraregional biocorridor). The migration profile was determined and the wildlife bridge or ecoduct (over the motorway) was recommended for further examination. As part of the update of the technical study for widening the D1 motorway to six lanes, it was found that it would be necessary to completely replace the existing bridge over the forest path, which is close to the proposed ecoduct. A three-way flyover for transferring the migration route under the motorway was proposed in the place of this bridge and the idea of ecoduct was dropped, which resulted in considerable cost savings (the cost of ecoduct was approximately CZK 210 million, while the cost of the recommended bridge was approximately CZK 70 million).

R52 – Ivaň – Perná (Nové Mlýny district on the Dyje River)

At the crossing of the Nové Mlýny water reservoir, the planned R52 expressway overrides the significant site of occurrence and significant migration route of the Eurasian river otter. At the place of the main migration routes identified, a comprehensive measure combining fencing, guiding barriers, and special otter passes was recommended as a result of the Migration Study. In addition, modification of underbridges for several bridges was proposed to ensure maximum permeability for this endangered species. This will result in a significant reduction in the mortality rate of otters in the area in the future.

D4 Ivanka při Dunaji – Záhorská Bystrica

During the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA Report), biota monitoring was carried out in the territory, which became the basis for the Framework Migration Study (identification of migration routes and proposal of necessary measures). The results verified and demonstrated that for the type of landscape around Bratislava it is not necessary to build special migration structures - ecoducts on the planned motorway. To preserve the migration of local species of animals, bridge structures - underpasses and tunnels will be sufficient.

Migration Studies enable economically efficient construction that is in line with the principles of sustainable development, and the whole issue takes its initial direction in the process of the environmental impact assessment (EIA).

Impact of building activity on the landscape character

The importance of a stable landscape is steadily increasing with the development of human activity and increasing pressure on the use of land.

In order to protect the landscape, an institute of landscape character (Section 12) was defined, and any intervention that could disturb the landscape character requires the approval by the nature conservation authority. This is given in the form of a binding opinion. It is very important that the assessment of impacts under the EIA Act (the EIA Notification phase, the EIA Report) includes chapters on the assessment of impacts on the landscape and the landscape character at a stage that still allows for a subsequent change in the technical design of the plan (shifting the road route, lowering the road embankment, lowering the wind turbine towers, lowering the building within the industrial area, greening the project, etc.), thus reducing or eliminating the negative effects on its aesthetic and natural value.

Preventive assessment

This is an evaluation of the territory in terms of representation of individual types of landscapes and assessment of their quality. The aim is to divide the territory into units according to the value/rarity of the landscape and set limits in these units for the realization of individual plans. For example, a territory is defined in which it is inappropriate to build any high-rise structures (mobile operator antennas, wind power plants, etc.).

Assessment of the impact of a particular structure or activity (causal assessment of the landscape character)

This is a detailed assessment of a specific structure or activity in particular territory. Specific impacts on the natural and cultural-historical characteristics of the landscape character as well as measures to eliminate or mitigate these impacts are assessed. The assessment must always have three parts – the assessment of the territory concerned (description and evaluation of specific features of a particular site and area and overall assessment of the landscape character affected by the plan), the assessment of impact of the structure or activity on the territory concerned (description and evaluation of individual impacts of the plan under assessment – visual landmark, visual barrier, impact on the harmonic scale of the landscape, etc.) and finally, the draft measure (in addition to the above-mentioned modifications of the plan, for example, also the colour design of the structure, the surface treatment - stone lining instead of concrete, the material used, etc.).

In the assessment, photographic visualization of plans is often used to make decision-making easier for multiple variants.

In the following pictures, you can see an example of a bridge on the D52 motorway near the Termal Mušov Hotel on the left bank of the Dyje River (behind the bridge, the dam continues across Nové Mlýny reservoirs).