Consulting and environmental planning services

Consulting and environmental planning services for environmental impact assessment.

ERSE offers consulting services for the development of Environmental Impact Assessments, Environmental Incidence Assessment (for Natura 2000 sites), Environmental Monitoring Plans, and environmental project design (EU-funded projects).

Environmental impact assessments (EIA)

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) originated in the United States in 1969 with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which anticipated the founding principle of Sustainable Development. In Europe, this procedure was introduced by the Community Directive 85/337/EEC (Council Directive of June 27, 1985, on the assessment of the environmental impact of certain public and private projects) as a fundamental tool for environmental policy.

The goal of environmental assessment is to ensure that human activities are compatible with the conditions for sustainable development, thus respecting the regenerative capacity of ecosystems and resources, safeguarding biodiversity, and ensuring an equitable distribution of the benefits linked to economic activity. The EIA procedure is based on the precautionary principle, which states that the best environmental policy is to prevent negative effects related to the implementation of projects rather than dealing with their effects afterward.

The EIA procedure aims to identify, describe, and assess the direct and indirect effects of a project on human health and environmental components such as fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climate, landscape, and cultural heritage, as well as on the interactions between these factors. The objective is to protect human health, contribute to life quality with a better environment, ensure species maintenance, and conserve the reproductive capacity of ecosystems as an essential life resource. The description of impacts on floristic-faunal and ecosystem components, along with possible mitigation measures, is addressed in a specific section of the Environmental Impact Study, which is part of the EIA procedure.

Environmental incidence assessment (EINCA)

Article 6 of Directive 92/43/EEC “Habitat” establishes, in four paragraphs, the general framework for the conservation and management of the sites that form the Natura 2000 Network, providing three types of provisions: proactive, preventive, and procedural. In general, Article 6 of Directive 92/43/EEC is the reference for provisions concerning the relationship between conservation and socio-economic activities within Natura 2000 sites, and plays a key role in the conservation of habitats and species and achieving the objectives within the Network.

In particular, paragraphs 3 and 4 related to the Incidence Assessment provide preventive measures and progressive procedures to assess the potential negative effects, “significant negative incidences”, caused by plans and projects not directly related to or necessary for the management of a Natura 2000 site, also defining the obligations of Member States in terms of Incidence Assessment and Compensation Measures. According to Article 6, paragraph 3 of the Habitat Directive, the Incidence Assessment is the identified tool to reconcile the needs of local development while ensuring the achievement of the conservation objectives of the Natura 2000 Network.

If a plan or action may significantly affect the ecological status of a conservation-relevant environment within the Natura 2000 Network (Special Area of Conservation – SAC, according to Directive 92/43/EEC “Habitat”), an Environmental Incidence Assessment document must be produced, alongside the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The purpose of this procedure is to identify and clearly indicate the potential effects of the work with significant impact on the site.

Environmental monitoring plans (EMP)

Environmental monitoring represents the set of measures used to assess the actual impact of a project on various environmental components (water, air, soil, fauna, flora, etc.).

At the end of the design phase of an intervention and/or infrastructure, it is necessary to verify that the environmental impact predictions, identified in the Incidence Assessment and/or Environmental Impact Study, are in line with what is observable during the construction and operation phases of the project, as well as to evaluate the actual effectiveness of mitigation measures. The EMP, referring to the documentation of the executive project, the SIA, and the related Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure, as well as the special work assignment specifications, establishes the environmental parameters to be evaluated, the methods to be applied, and the timelines to follow. A specific section is dedicated to the monitoring of faunal and vegetational components, as well as to verifying the ecological functionality of the impacted environment.

In environmental impact studies, experts, based on the data collected during field analyses and considering the characteristics of the project, estimate the predicted impacts, which, however, must be kept under control and monitored during the various stages of the interventions’ life, after their approval.

Monitoring occurs in 3 different stages: before the start of the work (ante operam), during the work, and after the work is completed and the project is operational (post operam).

Environmental project design

ERSE actively supports public authorities and private parties, which are responsible of the management of environmental resources, in environmental planning with the aim of conservation/management of its resources, leading them from the project idea to its realization.

Consulting and environmental planning services