Abstract:
In response to pressure from the public to alleviate the environmental impact of development, two important events occurred during 1989.
In the first instance a new law on the environment was published, resulting in some form of environmental impact assessment becoming essential.
In the second instance the Council for the Environment developed a procedure for completing these environmental assessments. The first procedure is called Integrated Environmental Assessment or IEM.
This procedure contains four stages, the proposal generation stage, assessment stage, decision stage, and the implementation stage. One of the main aims of this process is to allow for development to take place whilst at the same time to protect the various natural resources of the region.
The second important aim of the process is to speed up the process of evaluation and decision making so that the necessary development in South Africa is not unduly retarded.
The IEM process offers a solution to the environmental problems of the developing countries such as South Africa and should make an important contribution to realistic conservation.
