Capacity Building for Eia in Brazil: Preliminary Considerations and Problems to Be Overcome

In Brazil, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been part of the environmental legislation since 1981 when the Brazilian National Environmental Policy (BNEP) was established. The BNEP established several tools intended to reconcile socio-economic development with environment conservation. More than twenty years have passed, and what is still seen in general is a need for improved capacity to implement these instruments to their full extent, particularly because of the lack of integration among these tools and, in many instances, a lack of the necessary levels of power and resources to enforce the very instruments that are aimed at integrating environmental concerns into decision-making. A brief background about the EIA process in Brazil is introduced, as well as regional examples of Capacity Building (CB) initiatives undertaken. Finally, a systemic approach to build EIA capacity is presented. The main conclusion is that CB is needed to effectively implement EIA components in Brazil and a systemic approach might offer improved outcomes to achieve desired levels of EIA capacity.