(ii) (iii) Evaluation of possible alternative, when possible, and Evaluation of potential measures of prevention and/or mitigation of environmental damage in the protected region. 144. In this regard, Principle 4 of the UNEP “Goals and Principles of Environmental Impact Assessment establishes that: “An EIA should include, at a minimum: […] (c) a description of practical alternatives, as appropriate; (d) an assessment of the likely or potential environmental impacts of the proposed activity and alternatives, including the direct, indirect, cumulative, short-term and longterm effects. (e) an identification and description of measures available to mitigate adverse environmental impacts of the proposed activity and alternatives, and an assessment of those measures [...].” 89 145. During the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, it was established that “[t]he environmental impact assessment should, where adverse impacts are envisaged, identify alternative project designs (including rejection or the “no-action” alternative), as well as mitigation measures or environmental safeguards that can be incorporated into the project design to reduce the adverse impacts.” 90 146. In addition, the World Bank’s Operational Manual OP 4.01 defines the purpose of environmental impact assessment as follows: “[Environmental impact assessment] examines project alternatives; identifies ways of improving project selection, siting, planning, design, and implementation by preventing, minimizing, mitigating, or compensating for adverse environmental impacts and enhancing positive impacts; and includes the process of mitigating and managing adverse environmental impacts throughout project implementation. The Bank favors preventive measures over mitigatory or compensatory measures, whenever feasible.” 91 147. The obligation to analyze and establish possible measures to prevent or mitigate environmental damage in impact assessments is also established in other international instruments, such as in the Voluntary Guidelines for the Conduct of Cultural, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment regarding Developments Proposed to Take Place on, or which are Likely to Impact on, Sacred Sites and on Lands and Waters Traditionally Occupied or Used by Indigenous and Local Communities. 89 UNEP, Goals and Principles of Environmental Impact Assessment, Decision 14/25, June 17, 1987. Principle 4. 90 Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Fourth Meeting, Bratislava, 4 to 15 M a y 1998, “Impact assessment and minimizing adverse effects: implementation of Article 14,” UNEP/CBD/COP/4/20, 11 March 1998, p.2. 91 World Bank, Operational Manual, OP 4.01: Environmental Assessment, Revised April 2013. 60