An evaluation of the analysis of ecological risks method in environmental impact assessment

There are several methods of environmental impact assessment (EIA). The method selected will depend on the background and purpose of assessment. This article provides an evaluation of a method of EIA, analysis of ecological risks (AER), as used by Sankoh et al. (1993) in an EIA study carried out to find and assess the environmental compatibility of route alternatives of a bypass road. The AER method is appropriate for identifying route alternatives and for assessing their environmental compatibility. Its transparency makes the results it provides very helpful to the decision-maker. The main objective is an analysis of a cause-and-effect relationship between the impacts of the project and the ecosystem. It considers the state of the ecological environment before and after a planned project. The approach supports geographical information systems application.