Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) can broadly be defined as a study of the
effects of a proposed project, plan or program on the environment. The legal,
methodological and procedural foundations of EIA were established in 1970 by the
enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in the USA. At the
international level, lending banks and bilateral aid agencies have EIA procedures
that apply to borrowing and recipient countries. Most developing counties have
also embraced and are in the process of formalizing EIA through legislation. The
paper highlights the evolution to current status, the legal framework, concepts,
processes and principles of EIA and associated studies.