Evaluating the effectiveness of the environmental impact assessment process in Mongolia for nomadic-pastoral land users

The aim of this article is to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of Mongolia’s EIA processes for nomadic-pastoral land use(rs) (NPLU(rs)). NPLU(rs) are often overlooked in many spatial policies, so the justification for this study is to improve the EIA processes regarding impacts on NPLU. This is the first study to examine EIA effectiveness for NPLA(s) specifically. It employs a Likert survey of 50 respondents based on the framework of Hanna and Noble (2015). The results of this study indicate that there is indeed an immense gap between how EIA should be carried out and its implementation processes in practice. We find that although the EIA framework has good ambitions and is relying on a sound legislative and institutional set-up in Mongolia, it lacks stakeholder confidence, participation and the effectiveness in mitigating both social and environmental impacts associated with NPLU failing to ensure substantive gains to pastureland resources. Improvements are especially required in EIA practice, impact prediction methods suitable for dynamic land use, capacity building, transparency, EIA integration into spatial planning, and stakeholder engagement.

本研究旨在评估并完善蒙古国针对游牧牧区土地利用（nomadic-pastoral land use, NPLU(rs)）的环境影响评价（Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA）流程效能。游牧牧区土地利用在诸多空间规划政策中常被忽视，因此本研究的核心动因在于优化针对该类土地利用影响的环境影响评价流程。本研究是首个专门针对游牧牧区土地利用开展环境影响评价效能考察的研究。研究基于Hanna与Noble（2015）的研究框架，对50名受访者实施了李克特量表调查。研究结果表明，环境影响评价的理论实施规范与实际落地流程之间确实存在巨大差距。我们发现，尽管蒙古国的环境影响评价框架目标积极，且依托于完善的立法与制度体系，但仍缺乏利益相关方信任、公众参与，且在缓解与游牧牧区土地利用相关的社会与环境影响方面效能不足，无法为牧区资源带来实质增益。亟需在以下领域开展改进：环境影响评价实操、适配动态土地利用的影响预测方法、能力建设、透明度提升、将环境影响评价纳入空间规划流程，以及优化利益相关方参与机制。