Since the 1980s, and especially since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, there has been a substantial extension in the adoption and use of Environmental Assessment (EA) procedures in developing countries and countries in transition (low and middle income countries). However, few existing texts in environmental assessment or development studies have reflected this trend sufficiently, until this publication. The book is divided into two main parts:

• Part 1: EA Principles, Processes and Practice. EA procedures and practice in low and middle income countries are overviewed in six different regions of the world. They are then examined, in greater detail, in each of the key stages in the EA process.
• Part 2: Country and Institutional Studies of EA Procedures and Practice. This section includes six country studies that cover Chile, Indonesia, Russia, Nepal, Jordan and Zimbabwe. Three institutional studies review EA procedures and practice in the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and bilateral development agencies.