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Project Abstracts

 

 

1.  Patrick Duffy and Elizabeth Migongo-Bake. 
"The application of EIA in the evaluation of sustainable desertification control activity: Examples from Namibia and Inner Mongolia." 
Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Vol. 21, No. 1, March 2003, pp. 65-73.

As a part of a program to evaluate potential success stories in combating land degradation from desertification, UNEP sent missions of independent consultants to projects in Namibia in 1992 ( a ranch/farm operation) and to Naiman Banner, Inner Mongolia in 1997 (a village mixed farming operation). In both cases the soil and land conditions were seriously degraded and the residents were impoverished. The root causes were inappropriate European practices in Namibia and overwhelming sand dune encroachment, population growth, poor grazing and cropping practices, and poor access to markets, in the Naiman case.

The environmental and socio-economic conditions were substantially improved in both cases. Each project received a UNEP "Saving the Drylands" award in recognition of their achievements. The awards are to show that land degradation and desertification can be controlled and that positive experiences can be replicated.

The 1997 mission was given additional support by the International Fund for Agricultural Development. 
 

Desertification control measures were taken over a 20 year period at the Namibia operation and for 10 years at Naiman. Then the improvements were studied and assessed by the missions, using UNEP evaluation criteria. An EIA was done for the pre-project traditional practices ("a hindsight EIA") and the one was done for the post-project conditions after the rehabilitation was done. Then the impact assessments were compared as a basis for the evaluations

 

 

2.  Duffy, Patrick. 1999.
Environmental impact assessment training for sustainable agriculture and rural development: Lessons and experience from Cambodia. 15 pp.

This article is meant to illustrate the importance of developing human resources through non-formal education and extension training, particularly in the protection of natural resources important to agriculture, fisheries and forestry. It addresses the environmental situation in Cambodia and a brief backgrounder on a project to provide EIA training to professionals in these sectors. Attention is given to criteria for the selection of trainees, training methodology (field trips, case studies) training curricula/materials prepared, training execution and learning outcomes achieved.

This article illustrates the application of EA in addressing chronic environmentally damaging agriculture and rural development practices, which is a finding from an earlier similar training project in Kenya.

A complementary article on EIA addressing chronic environmentally damaging agricultural and rural development practices Cambodia and Kenya, co-authored with FAO Senior Officer (Sustainable Development) Jeff Tschirley, was published in September 2000.

3.  United Nations Development Programme
August/September, 1996
Mission Leader to Ufa, Rep. of Bashkortostan, Russia.
Duration: 2 weeks. 
Purpose: to initiate the preparation of a comprehensive environmental protection programme in a heavily industrialized region.

Three thousand industries dating from World War II and more recently have created very high pollution levels in all receiving environments. The mission made recommendations on the government priorities namely a threatened drinking water supply, serious air pollution, and inadequate solid and waste water management. In addition, advice was given on a necessary monitoring system and the institutional arrangements which will serve to redress the situation.

4. Duffy, P.J.B. 1996. 
Lessons for a Cleaner Paradise: Solid Waste Management in Phuket, Thailand.
International Centre for Sustainable Cities, Vancouver, Canada. 30 pp.

In this evaluation assignment (March, 1996, one month), Mr. Duffy researched, visited, interviewed, and reported on a project in progress aimed at rehabilitating a large sanitary landfill operation and related recycling activities at the resort area of Phuket. The project has delivered several improvements such as a local solid waste management committee, intergovernmental agreements, improved landfill procedures, a new municipal bylaw on procedures, rules and regulations, a new user fee program, separation of organic waste, and cost sharing with major participation from the hotel and tourism industry. Lessons learned included the importance of environmental impact assessments on landfill designs and operations and the need to separate scavenger activities from the landfill operations on a daily basis.

5.  Duffy, Patrick. 1992 
"EIA as a Catalyst to Sustainable Development in Mozambique."
Impact Assessment Bulletin, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 67 - 72.

This article is from a portion of a 100 pp. (1988) report for United Nations Environment Programme by a 4-person one-month mission to assist the Government of Mozambique to prepare a national environmental programme for wartime and for the post-war period. Mr. Duffy served as the senior consultant for the mission which focused on awareness raising, institutional strengthening, training of professionals, review and update of the legislation, and the use of environmental impact assessment for all government projects.

6.  Global Environment Facility 
Project Document Preparation for "The Environmental Protection of the Red Sea" with the cooperating governments of Yemen and Egypt.

Mr. Duffy was the leader of a United Nations Development Programme/U.N. Environment Programme/World Bank mission to Nairobi, Kenya, Yemen, and Egypt to assist governments in the drafting of a project document aimed at the protection of the Red Sea, under the GEF International Waters focus. The project is active and protects ecosystems important to fisheries and biodiversity through improving knowledge and monitoring Yemen`s Red Sea resources and their use. There are linkages with a coastal project in Egypt. A regional component of the project involves Saudi Arabia and is implemented in cooperation with UNEP.

7.  Duffy, Patrick and Jeff Tschirley. 2000. 
"Use of environmental impact assessment in addressing chronic environmentally damaging agricultural and rural development practices: Examples from Kenya and Cambodia," Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 161-167.

This article reports on the results of Mr. Duffy`s one-person FAO (U.N.) mission of 2 1/2 months duration to carry out a needs assessment with District Environment Officers in 24 districts, and then to plan and deliver two one-week-long EIA training courses in the field and at Moi University School of Environmental Studies. The DEOs brought 35 critical environmental problems from the work place and all were subjected to an EIA. It was found that the EIA model worked well for planned activities and physical projects where there is an opportunity to " anticipate and prevent" harmful effects on the environment. However it was found that the model also worked very well in analyzing the cause/effect relationships in chronic environmentally damaging on-going agricultural practices and rural development activities. For all 25 subjects in this category, the environmental impacts were identified and practical mitigation measures were proposed. This may be a novel application for the EIA procedure, i.e., where it is necessary " to react and repair" environmental damage through corrective action.

8. Duffy, Patrick 
Environmental Assessment of the Proposed Small Hydro Project at Hluey Lakes (DeaseLake), British Columbia.

An EIA was carried out by Mr. Duffy to meet provincial and federal government requirements for a 3 megawatt small hydro project in a remote location of northern B.C. The work was done over a three year period (1992-1995) on a subcontract to Stothert Engineering Limited of Vancouver. The client is the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation, at Dease Lake.

Key parts of the assessment included a literature search, multidisciplinary field work, two public information meetings at each of three communities (Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut), several technical meetings with government agencies, and final report preparation.

The project is under construction and commissioning was planned for 1997. 

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© 2017 Patrick Duffy

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