Innovative Energy & Research
Open Access

Abstract

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), is a decisions making process about the execution of projects, works or activities (POA by its initials in Spanish), is based on the prediction of possible environmental impacts that these can generate, therefore, it is done before the projects, works or activities are executed, this situation added to the environment complexity creates uncertainties in the predictions. The follow-up and monitoring of the EIA aim to eliminate these uncertainties through review, evaluation, and adjustment of predictions when projects, jobs or activities are already in execution. This investigation evaluated the follow-up and monitoring process in Colombia in aspects such as the sources of uncertainty, their influence on EIA feedback and the strengthening opportunities for this tool, trhu a survey based on the sources of uncertainty identified at the international level for the EIA, which was applied to 21 applications for Environmental Licenses, filed at the National Authority of Environmental Licenses of Colombia during 2013. This review allowed to identify gaps in existing regulations, high subjectivity during follow-up, scarce resources for its execution, methodological errors and weak processes of participation and communication of results, concluding that the weakest aspect in the process is related to methodological aspects. From where is proposed some guidelines to improve the follow-up od the EIA in Colombia.

Biography

E-mail: luz.guevara@hotmail.es