Utilitarian framings of biodiversity shape environmental impact assessment in development cooperation

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14310%2F17%3A00099402" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14310/17:00099402 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2017.06.003" target="_blank" >http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2017.06.003</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2017.06.003" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.envsci.2017.06.003</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Utilitarian framings of biodiversity shape environmental impact assessment in development cooperation

Original language description

Biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic pressures, in particular in biodiversity-rich developing countries. Development cooperation actors, who traditionally focus on the improvement of socio-economic conditions in the South, are increasingly acknowledging the linkages between poverty and biodiversity, e.g. by referring to the ecosystem services framework. However, there are many different framings which stress the need for biodiversity integration and which influence how biodiversity and development are and/or should be linked. Moreover, there is a gap between the lip service paid to biodiversity integration and the reality of development cooperation interventions. This study analyses how biodiversity framings are reflected in environmental impact assessment (EIA) practice, and how these framings influence EIA and decision-making. The findings, based on an in-depth qualitative analysis of World Bank EIAs undertaken in West Africa, indicate the incoherent quality but also the dominance of the 'utilitarian' and 'corrective' framings, which respectively stress human use of nature and mitigation of negative unintended development impacts. Identifying and highlighting these discursive trends leads to increased awareness of the importance of biodiversity among all development actors in North and South. However, some framings may lead to an overly narrow human-centred approach which downplays the intrinsic value of biodiversity. This study proposes recommendations for an improved integration of biodiversity in development cooperation, including the need for more systematic baseline studies in EIAs.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10600 - Biological sciences

Project

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Continuities

V - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z jinych verejnych zdroju

Publication year

2017

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLICY

ISSN

1462-9011

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

75

Issue of the periodical within the volume

September

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

91-102

UT code for WoS article

000407869500011

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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