Migratory birds environmental assessment guideline

Introduction

The following guideline has been developed to identify for proponents of projects the types of information and analyses that Environment Canada would expect in the section of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that deals with impacts on migratory birds. It was developed to promote best practices for environmental assessments under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), or when Environment Canada is involved in an environmental assessment of another jurisdiction. It is also envisioned that its broader use will facilitate a more standardized approach across Canada to assessing environmental impacts on migratory birds.

This guideline is predominantly conceptual in its approach, focusing on principles, rather than providing a detailed checklist of information and analytical requirements for the EIS. It focuses on requirements for migratory birds, which may not necessarily be consistent with the habitat needs for other wildlife. Environment Canada recognizes that a balance in obtaining the broader biodiversity and sustainable development goals will be the outcome of an environmental assessment. Further, it is recognized that all the information identified in this guideline may not be readily available nor applicable to all projects, but in attempting to achieve best practices in environmental assessment it is necessary to identify state-of-the-art approaches to information requirements and impact analyses. Information requests for EISs will therefore change through time as new information becomes available, and science, environmental circumstances, and environmental assessment practices change. Therefore, the guideline should not be regarded as either exhaustive or restrictive, nor would it preclude requests for additional or different information for a particular project.

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