Adaptation of EVIAVE methodology for monitoring and follow-up when evaluating the environmental impact of landfills

•A modified methodology is used to monitor and follow-up environmental impacts in landfills.•The improved methodology includes the Vulnerability of Flora and Fauna to evaluate environmental impact of landfills.•The methodology serves to identify and evaluate the sources of risk generated in the construction and siting of landfills.•Environmental vulnerability indicators improve effectiveness of the control and follow-up phases of landfill management.•The follow-up of environmental management plans may help diminish the implementation gap in Environmental Impact Assessment.

Treatment and final disposal of Municipal Solid Waste can have a significant role in the generation of negative environmental impacts. As a prevention strategy, such activities are subjected to the process of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Still, the follow-up of Environmental Management Plans or mitigation measures is limited, for one due to a lack of methodological approaches. In searching for possibilities, the University of Granada (Spain) developed a diagnostic methodology named EVIAVE, which allows one to quantify, by means of indexes, the environmental impact of landfills in view of their location and the conditions of exploitation. EVIAVE is applicable within the legal framework of the European Union and can be adapted to the environmental and legal conditions of other countries. This study entails its adaptation in Colombia, for the follow-up and control of the EIA process for landfills. Modifications involved inclusion of the environmental elements flora and fauna, and the evaluation of the environmental descriptors in agreement with the concept of vulnerability. The application of the modified EVIAVE in Colombian landfills allowed us to identify the elements affected by the operating conditions and maintenance. It may be concluded that this methodology is viable and effective for the follow-up and environmental control of EIA processes for landfills, and to analyze the associated risks, as it takes into account related environmental threats and vulnerabilities.