When a major development project is announced—whether it’s a highway, a dam, or a large-scale plantation—one of the most critical steps in the process is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). But how does the EIA process work, and how much influence does public feedback really have? In a three-part series, environmental journalism portal Macaranga spoke to stakeholders to explore all this and more, and we speak to environmental journalist Law Yao Hua who wrote the articles, EIA consultant and auditor Khairulina Mohd Kamaruddin, and Hawa Wahid, the President of Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (KUASA), to break down the complexities of EIAs, why public participation matters, and how we can make the process more transparent and effective.

Image Credit: Macaranga