Environment

The National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) was released in 1992. Recognising the strategic importance of ESD to the transport sector, Austroads developed a Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development in 1995, which was subsequently reviewed and updated in 1999. Also in 1999, Austroads developed an ESD Toolbox as part of a Project under the National Strategic Research Program within the Technology and Environment Sub-Program. The ESD Toolbox consists of two parts: Part A includes a Guidance Package and examples of decision support tools and techniques; and Part B includes a series of Case Studies demonstrating the application of ESD principles. The ESD Toolbox adopts three key themes to emphasise the interrelationships between the human and natural environments. These three themes are the Human Environment, Natural Environment and Integrated Decision Making Processes. The Integrated Decision Making theme is concerned with the integration of social, environmental and economic factors within decision making and processes for participation. This is the focus of Part A which provides guidance on the selection and application of integrated decision making tools and techniques. The Guidance Package provides summary guidelines for a range of tools and techniques currently in use. The Guidance Package will assist in learning how these tools are used, when they are used, and provide an indication of their level of development as well as their strengths and limitations. The Part A Guidance Package provides an overview of Ecologically Sustainable Development and transport examples that demonstrate the application of decision tools including Qualitative ESD Assessment, Environmental Risk Assessment, Cumulative Effects Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, and Multi Objective Decision Making. Part B of the ESD Toolbox uses Case Studies to focus on the Human Environment and Natural Environment themes. C