The overall objective of development should be to improve the quality of people's lives, yet economic development without due environmental protection commonly leads to ecological or environmental impacts which have the reverse effect of reducing the quality of human life. A table showing some of the major environmental impacts that can result from uncontrolled rural development is presented to illustrate the fact that developmental activities with no environmental protection can be very seriously detrimental to the rural environment. Therefore, an environmental impact assessment, both short-term and long-term in scope, should be made of any major development scheme as a basis for drawing up strategies for minimizing undesirable impacts. Although a number of techniques are available for such impact assessment, the checklist and matrix approaches appear to be the most suitable for use in Southeast Asia, where impact studies are only just beginning to be introduced.