Tools to Aid Environmental Decision Making

Rating:
Summary: An impressive toolbox for environmental consultants
Review: This book about environmental decision making in governmental and private organizations presents over hundred and fifty tools, divided in eight functional categories, for identifying environmental values, characterizing the environmental, regulatory and judicial settings, understanding the socioeconomic and political settings, integrating geographic information, forecasting, assessing, refining and narrowing of options and post-decision assessment.

Each tool is defined, its use, its strengths and weaknesses are presented. Sidebars give practical examples. And the future needs for decision-aiding tools and their developments are discussed. Each chapter has been written by an expert. Key resources and detailed references are given. And after each chapter a decision-maker comments on the presentation of the expert.

This book is not only about tools, it's also about sound environmental decision making processes. The editors say it is addressed to all participants in environmental decision making. But I believe it is most welcome for people who have to prepare decisions, and not directly the decision-makers them-selves (it is to technical).

Even if you are a senior consultant, you will discover new tools and new processes to help prepare environmental decisions. It is not possible to be an expert in the use of all this tools, but having a good overview of all the possible tools and a general understanding the process of environmental decision making is essential. This book should definitely be part of the top 10 books for environmental consultants.