A new development is always an exciting prospect and one which people devote large amounts of money and energy to. Whether the development is a factory or processing plant, the project is always of a substantial magnitude and so it requires extensive assessment and planning before construction can commence. Part of this preliminary activity is the environmental assessment, or Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAS), which are conducted to determine whether an area is suitable for the development and what risks exist in it.
The environment needs to be taken into account and assessed. The modern attitude is that it should be recognized as deserving of respect. The opinion that pollution is insignificant or that the environment should be taken for granted is outdated and is not adhered to by modern governments or the community.
The overarching philosophy of developers should therefore be that the environment should be protected and conserved. The public and the authorities will not tolerate the approach that environmental questions can be ignored or that pollution is something that people should simply live with. In extreme cases, opposition to a development can actually lead to official sanction and termination, or at least the intervention of the authorities.
An ESAS examines a variety of environmental aspects in order to determine if the natural environment in the area demarcated for development is safe, and if not, what risks it presents to the developers. These aspects are all part of the natural environment and they relate to health, hygiene and the capacity of the site to support what the developers plan to do there.
The vegetation in the site area is one of these aspects. Plants are of interest to the assessors for two reasons. Firstly, they may be an alien species. Secondly, they may be vectors of environmental toxins or infections.
Another aspect to be examined is the plant matter. This examination may revolve around two factors - whether the plants are desirable, and secondly whether they are healthy.
Undesirable plants are those species which are not wanted by the authorities in that specific area. This is almost always because they are not indigenous species. Alien plant species are a threat to the environment because they do not form part of the endemic food chain. They then cause a disruption in the food chain by absorbing too many nutrients or taking up too much space. They may also cause the soil quality to deteriorate. Unhealthy plants are those which have been poisoned or which are carrying diseases. Poisoned plants are sometimes eaten as fodder by insects and animals, and this is how the poison enters into the local food chain.
A healthy plant is one which is not poisoned and which has not been infected by any diseases. Alien invasive species are not desirable and they are usually prohibited by law. This is because they do not slot naturally into the local food chain. They either take up too much space or they use excessive amounts of soil nutrients. Some of them also cause the soil to weaken and erode. On the other hand, unhealthy plants are those which have been infected by diseases or which are being poisoned, either by the soil or their water supply. They then transmit the poison into the food chain when animals or insects graze on them.
The ESAS is too important for developers to ignore or to leave aside. These aspects of the natural environment are all essential in the assessment and should all be taken into account.
The environment needs to be taken into account and assessed. The modern attitude is that it should be recognized as deserving of respect. The opinion that pollution is insignificant or that the environment should be taken for granted is outdated and is not adhered to by modern governments or the community.
The overarching philosophy of developers should therefore be that the environment should be protected and conserved. The public and the authorities will not tolerate the approach that environmental questions can be ignored or that pollution is something that people should simply live with. In extreme cases, opposition to a development can actually lead to official sanction and termination, or at least the intervention of the authorities.
An ESAS examines a variety of environmental aspects in order to determine if the natural environment in the area demarcated for development is safe, and if not, what risks it presents to the developers. These aspects are all part of the natural environment and they relate to health, hygiene and the capacity of the site to support what the developers plan to do there.
The vegetation in the site area is one of these aspects. Plants are of interest to the assessors for two reasons. Firstly, they may be an alien species. Secondly, they may be vectors of environmental toxins or infections.
Another aspect to be examined is the plant matter. This examination may revolve around two factors - whether the plants are desirable, and secondly whether they are healthy.
Undesirable plants are those species which are not wanted by the authorities in that specific area. This is almost always because they are not indigenous species. Alien plant species are a threat to the environment because they do not form part of the endemic food chain. They then cause a disruption in the food chain by absorbing too many nutrients or taking up too much space. They may also cause the soil quality to deteriorate. Unhealthy plants are those which have been poisoned or which are carrying diseases. Poisoned plants are sometimes eaten as fodder by insects and animals, and this is how the poison enters into the local food chain.
A healthy plant is one which is not poisoned and which has not been infected by any diseases. Alien invasive species are not desirable and they are usually prohibited by law. This is because they do not slot naturally into the local food chain. They either take up too much space or they use excessive amounts of soil nutrients. Some of them also cause the soil to weaken and erode. On the other hand, unhealthy plants are those which have been infected by diseases or which are being poisoned, either by the soil or their water supply. They then transmit the poison into the food chain when animals or insects graze on them.
The ESAS is too important for developers to ignore or to leave aside. These aspects of the natural environment are all essential in the assessment and should all be taken into account.
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Read more about Important Factors In The Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAS).
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