Development Impact Assessment Studies: Science Popularization in Management of Environment

Policies, programmes, plans and projects of development have different positive and negative consequences. Environmental and social impact assessment attempts to predict and manage this impacts systematically. Identifying and evaluating the performance and effects of development programs through survey and familiarity with the people’s views, perceptions and attitudes is one way of involving the stakeholders. The information exchange between local people and administrators will inform them about the current social and economic conditions, how to reduce the negative effects and increase the positive effects in the future and identify the progress opportunities. This process assures people that they will not be dropped out and will have an effective presence in development-related decision-making. This study in addition to theoretical concepts of environmental and social impact assessment, has investigated the position of perception and attitude in participatory impacts assessment. In the following, by means of content analysis, a number of impact assessment studies, especially those related to rural development, agriculture and natural resources are investigated and their positive and negative effects on natural and human environment are extracted.