In general, rural development is used to denote the actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-Urban neighborhoods, countryside, and remote villages.  These communities can be exemplified with a low ration of inhabitants to open space. A generalized problem faced by rural development is execution of a Rural Impact Assessments.  These assessments are typically done after planners and decision makers begin advocating a particular proposal, and serve largely to suggest mitigations for a project already selected.  Ecosdyn’s professionals execute these assessments and corroborate with clients prior to the proposition of a proposal, in order to ensure compliance with policies, and avoidance of latent problems related to the cumulative environmental effects of a project over time, as well as additive impacts of surrounding development projects.

 

The passing of NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) created a set of requirements for federal agencies among these is the integrated use of the social sciences in assessing impacts on the human environment.  The counsel on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ’s) Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508) point out that the ‘human environment’ is to be ‘interpreted comprehensively’ to include ‘the natural and physical environment and the relationship of people with that environment’ (40 CR 1508.14) agencies need to assess not only so-called ‘direct’ effects, but also ‘aesthetic, historic, cultural, economical, social or health’ effects, ‘whether direct, indirect, or cumulative’ (40 CR 1508.8).

 

Unlike other ecological consulting companies, Ecosdyn’s initiative is to integrate the socio-environmental aspect into our work.  We work to enhance the possibility of socially beneficial developments into proposed projects rather than be deterred from them.