Environmental impact assessment (EIA) constitutes an essential tool for integrating environmental and economic considerations in the planning process. Realising this, the Government of Zimbabwe recently adopted an EIA policy. However, the policy is not yet law and so it is unlikely to have an impact in its present form since no legal compulsion exists for developers and project proponents to follow its mandate. There is an urgent need for a statutory basis to be created for the EIA policy if it is to achieve sustainable management of resources. The article notes that while foreign methodologies are relevant in the search for an appropriate legislative model, they have to be domesticated to suit local environmental problems and priorities.
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