Integrating Biodiversity into Environmental Impact Assessments: Lessons from the EIA process in the Tigris and Euphrates basin

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a powerful tool for assessing future projects and initiatives to avoid their negative consequences on biodiversity and the environment in the early stages. To examine how project developers and planners can maximize the full value of EIAs to manage biodiversity risks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, this chapter evaluates the adverse impacts of three major projects on the biodiversity of the Tigris and Euphrates river basin: the Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi (GAP) project in Türkiye; the Tropical Water Projects in Iran; and drainage projects in Iraq. The chapter illustrates how the lack of a comprehensive EIA in water projects on the Tigris and Euphrates river basin has had diverse and adverse consequences on the environment and biodiversity of the basin. The chapter then provides insights into how the EIA could be enhanced in current and future developments in the basin by improving legal frameworks at the national level, increasing institutional capability and integrating technological advancement into the EIA.