The contribution of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to decision making for biological pest control in South Africa – The case of Lantana camara

In many countries authorization for the release of biological control agents for invasive species such as Lantana camara requires the consideration and evaluation of environmental impact and risk assessment reports. In South Africa the release of biocontrol agents is subject mainly to Environmental Impact Assessment, in terms of which various agents have been authorized for release into the environment for the control of L. camara. However the quality of the EIA reports that form the basis for decision making has not been evaluated. An EIA review package adapted to the requirements of biological control agents was used to review the quality of six approved EIA reports to gauge the contribution of EIA to decision making on the release of these biological control agents. The main finding is that the quality of the reports is poor measured against international best practice. The main weaknesses relate to the crux of EIA which is impact identification, impact evaluation, scoping, mitigation measures and monitoring programs. The value of EIA as a tool for Integrated Environmental Management of complex and potentially high impact activities such as the release of biological control agents is found to be less than required.