Description
Author: eftec. This work was undertaken between September 2007 and March 2008 to establish whether it is feasible to meaningfully compare the impacts of extraction of sand and gravel from the land and from the sea-bed. The main objectives were, in brief: i) To evaluate methods and tools for assessing and weighting economic, social and environmental costs and benefits; ii) To evaluate currently available sources of data in terms of relevance and quality; iii) To review the current processes for making decisions on permitting applications for extraction and the extent to which environmental, social and economic parameters are taken into account; iv) To discuss these matters with key stakeholders and to maintain a strong dialogue with the aggregates industry; v) To undertake a preliminary sustainability assessment order to establish whether useful results are likely to come from a full study; vi) To make recommendations, if appropriate, on how a full study should be undertaken, how additional data should be collected at reasonable cost and effort, and whether further development of methods would be needed.