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EIA Capacity Building for the People's Republic
of China
Asian Development Bank
The Government of the People's Republic of China
(PRC), through the National Environmental Protection Agency, implemented
large-scale environmental impact assessment (EIA) training program
throughout the country. ESSA was engaged to serve as EIA Advisor,
with the overall objective of providing the PRC with the elements
of a comprehensive EIA capability. The main goal of the project
was to train trainers for the dissemination of EIA knowledge. ESSA's
project team undertook a needs assessment for the provincial Environmental
Protection Bureaux (EPBs), and defined baseline capabilities by
evaluating the institutional capacities of five EPBs. Based on the
results of the assessment, ESSA guided local consultants in the
development of detailed work plans for the preparation of training
materials, and developed two detailed case studies to supplement
existing course materials provided by the ADB. ESSA also provided
training and temporary foreign placements for key PRC officials
so they could learn about environmental management (Thailand) and
EIA administration (Canada) outside of China.
To support ongoing EIA in the PRC, ESSA's project
team developed a comprehensive EIA reference manual and assisted
local consultants with the selection of key EIA documents, translated
into Chinese, for inclusion in a small reference library that would
meet the needs of an EIA institution. ESSA also established a pilot
program for the introduction of computerized EIA expert systems
into the PRC, and convened a multi-national three-day workshop in
Beijing on environmental management of IAA-funded projects in the
PRC.
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