Recommended subheadings:
2.1 Locations Affected
2.2 National [or applicable] Environmental Policies and Procedures
[of the host country, and including policies both for environmental assessment and development or other policies pertaining to the sector]
Section 2 is critical and should briefly assess the current physical environment that might be affected by the activity. It should draw on the Country Strategy and supportive analysis (such as the Environmental Threats and Opportunities Assessment, Conflict Vulnerability Assessment, etc.). While we are seeking to streamline IEEs, we also need to try to maintain the integrity of relevant analysis that sheds light on the interventions in the SO. This may be a standard we cannot always meet.
Our objective should be to add analysis which has a bearing upon the substance of the sector involved, we don’t want irrelevant “fill” material in here. Ideally some thoughtful analysis should be there, or at least compact, up-to-date, relevant info to the sector, e.g., on the environment-conflict links. It is worth drawing attention, in the IEE (which seeks to ensure that we avoid harm, in the most basic biophysical sense), to the SO’s opportunities for improving environmental management and governance.
Depending upon the activities proposed, this could include an examination of land use, geology, topography, soil, climate, groundwater resources, surface water resources, terrestrial communities, aquatic communities, environmentally sensitive areas (e.g., wetlands or protected species), agricultural cropping patterns and practices, infrastructure and transport services, air quality, demography (including population trends/projections), cultural resources, and the social and economic characteristics of the target communities.
The information obtained through this process should serve as an environmental baseline for future environmental monitoring and evaluation. Be selective in the country and environmental information you provide, as it should be specific to the activity being proposed and more information is not necessarily better.
Finally, indicate the status and applicability of host country, Mission, and CS policies, programs and procedures in addressing natural resources, the environment, food security, and other related issues.
Cross-referencing. One approach which might be an appropriate expedient is to refer to an earlier IEE’s write-up for this Section, as long as it is in the same strategy period, and reasonably recent and relevant (say, less than 3-5 years old). If one were to use this approach, here’s how it should be done, so the file can be found online: “See IEE for SO1 -- Increased rule of law and transparency in governance, 27rwand4.iee, at http://www.afr-sd.org/documents/iee/docs/27rwand4.doc. “
The BEO Actions Tracker (Africa Bureau's IEE database) is a reliable resource, typically kept current within at least six months.
View powerpoint slide about this section (from "Writing the IEE")
