This brochure is intended for all audiences concerned with decision and policy making in regard to the environment and sustainable development. There are many different types of environmental assessment methods available to support decision making at global, regional, national and local levels. As such, this guide sets out to:

• Introduce some of the types of environmental assessment frameworks that are available (with a specific emphasis on those commonly employed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)) and gives two examples of common assessment types which UNEP does not normally undertake.
• Assist the user to better understand where and when to consider using one assessment framework over another;
• Introduce and explain some of the most commonly encountered terminology in the field of environmental assessments; and
• Provide examples of where and when some of the assessment methods have been used, and refer to some of the key organisations and partners involved in developing and implementing the assessments.

After a short introduction on environmental assessments in Section 2, examples of key questions for stakeholders with an interest in using or conducting an environmental assessment are provided in section 3. This is followed by more detailed outlines of some environmental assessment methods in the factsheets set out in section 5, providing a short description of each method, some of its key points, notable examples, and details of potential support partners. We hope this guide can serve as a useful, quick-reference source of information for many audiences, including assessment practitioners, representatives of government and non-governmental organisations, academics, students, media and experts from the private sector.