A systematic review of Tanzanian environmental impact statements

Over 30 environmental impact assessments (EIAs) have been carried out in Tanzania to date. The majority of these were required by international development agencies. Legislation to make EIA a national requirement is to be introduced in Tanzania in the near future. The present situation provides an opportunity to assess the current effectiveness of EIA in Tanzania and to determine how it could be improved. Eighteen Tanzanian environmental impact statements (EISs) were reviewed using a procedure modified from that of the UK Institute of Environmental Assessment. In addition to the generally poor standard of Tanzanian EISs, inadequacy of public participation was found to be a key factor in limiting the effectiveness of EIA. Many of the deficiencies found during the EIS review could be rectified relatively easily and this paper seeks to offer some recommendations as to how this could be achieved.