Follow-up: post-decision learning in EIA

The chapter reviews the nature of EIA follow-up, provides examples of good practice, clarifies key issues in EIA follow-up and advances approaches to addressing them. The chapter begins by emphasizing the importance of EIA follow-up. It then sets out the key elements of monitoring, auditing, management, communication and governance. The chapter notes barriers to the adoption of follow-up, and reviews examples of good practice for overcoming such barriers from across several continents. Two detailed case studies of major UK energy projects provide innovative approaches to monitoring and auditing and highlight how EIA follow-up can reveal important gaps between EIS predicted and actual impacts. Overall, the chapter seeks to address the question of how can effective post-decision learning be better embedded in an adaptive EIA practice, with appropriate governance, involving the structures and processes for ensuring commitment to implement EIA follow–up.