Looking Beyond The Dredges

A key question in environmental impact assessment is whether a project should be considered on its own or in a broader context that includes alternative projects. While at first sight a broader view is desirable, it is not easy to evaluate the environmental effects of hypothetical projects. Intensified conflicts over major infrastructure development projects and calls for extended participation have lately raised interest in the question of choices between alternatives. This book first introduces a conceptual framework for the consideration of alternatives. It proceeds with a close comparative analysis of the presence of such requirements in German and New Zealand law, and then examines their operation in practice. With a comparison of two case studies concerning the dredging of port waterways, the author has drawn conclusions about the value of the consideration of alternatives as a tool, and has identified factors that foster or hinder its implementation in practice.