Check out the latest enews, sent 17 October 2017
​Table of Contents:
1. Special biodiversity symposium: “Mainstreaming the Mitigation Hierarchy in Impact Assessmentâ€
Registration is open through 27 October for a special IAIA biodiversity symposium, “Mainstreaming the Mitigation Hierarchy in Impact Assessment.†Pre-registration and pre-payment by that date is required due to venue security regulations; on-site registrations will not be accepted. The symposium will be held 14-15 November 2017 in Washington, DC, USA. For more information, check out the preliminary program. #iaiasymposium
Post-symposium training courses will be offered on 16-17 November 2017. Pre-registration and pre-payment by 27 October 2017 is required. For detailed information about the courses and instructors, visit http://conferences.iaia.org/wdc2017/training.php. Space is still available in the following courses:
Using the Mitigation Hierarchy to Mainstream Biodiversity in Impact Assessment: practical approaches to risk assessment, avoidance and minimization (16 November; US$275; Level: Introductory to intermediate)
Mitigation Hierarchy in Impact Assessment for Balancing Conservation Needs with Development Priorities (16-17 November; US$475; Level: Intermediate)
Sponsorship opportunities: IAIA is currently seeking sponsors for this biodiversity symposium. To find out the various ways your company can reach out to environmental professionals around the world, contact Bridget John.
The symposium is being hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Institutional partners for the symposium include IDB and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
2. IAIA18 updates: Preliminary program, abstracts, registration, Rita R. Hamm scholarship, young professional bursaries
IAIA18, “Environmental Justice in Societies in Transition,†will be held 16-19 May 2018 in Durban, South Africa. For more information, visit the conference web site. #iaia18
The preliminary program is now available. Download it today to see an overview of the technical program, details on training courses and technical visits, special meetings and networking activities, and more!
Registration is open at http://conferences.iaia.org/2018/registration.php. Register by 8 February and receive the Early Bird discount!
Paper and poster abstract submission is open through 20 November. Please review the submission guidelines and policies and then submit your proposal. Submissions will be closing on 20 November at 23:59 (11:59pm) US Central Standard Time.
Rita R. Hamm scholarship applications open: IAIA is pleased to offer the Rita R. Hamm IA Excellence Scholarship in honor of the legacy that IAIA’s former CEO has left on the organization and the field of impact assessment. One scholarship is offered in conjunction with each annual IAIA conference, allowing a young practitioner in the region of the host country to attend. Click http://conferences.iaia.org/2018/rita-r-hamm-ia-excellence-scholarship.php for more information and to apply.
Young professionals bursary applications open: For each annual conference, typically up to 15 bursaries are given to young professionals in the form of waived registration fees. For IAIA18, up to 40 bursaries will be granted. Recipients are expected to cover all other costs associated with attending the conference. It is IAIA’s hope that these bursaries will help more young professionals from lower income economies attend our premier annual event. Click http://conferences.iaia.org/2018/young-professionals-bursary.php for more information and to apply.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for IAIA18. Increase your organization’s visibility before an international audience of environmental and social professionals. Download the sponsorship brochure for more information about how to get involved and the benefits of being an IAIA conference sponsor.
3. Call for nominations: IAIA Board of Directors
Are you interested in serving on the IAIA Board of Directors? IAIA members are encouraged to self-nominate for the positions of President and two Directors for the 2018 election, to be held in January 2018 for the three-year term of May 2018 through May 2021.
To self-nominate, an interested member should gather at least five signatures of support from other current IAIA members. Please see the Self-Nomination Instructions document for full details. These signatures should be submitted along with the other required details no later than 15 November 2017. Self-nominations received after that date will not be accepted.
See http://www.iaia.org/news-details.php?ID=58 for more information about serving on the IAIA Board.
4. Call for papers for IAPA special issues
Papers are being called for a special issue of IAIA’s journal, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal (IAPA), on the use of Sustainability Assessments by the private sector. Special consideration will be given to those that focus on the Asia region. The September 2018 issue of IAPA has been reserved for this special issue. See http://explore.tandfonline.com/cfp/est/tiapsustainability?utm_source=CPB&utm_medium=cms&utm_campaign=JMJ02637 for additional information and instructions on how to submit your manuscript.
Papers are also sought for a special issue on investigating the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment in the private sector. See http://explore.tandfonline.com/pages/cfp/tiap-cfp-sea-2q2017?utm_source=CPB&utm_medium=cms&utm_campaign=JME00984 for more information and submission instructions.
5. Member survey closed; donation to foster baby elephants
Thank you to the IAIA members who completed our feedback survey on both IAIA's services and the state of impact assessment in general. Your input will help us finalize and implement our membership strategy and continue to improve our products and services.
The survey closed on 12 October, and for every survey completed, IAIA donated US$2 to the fostering of baby elephants being sheltered at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The Trust fosters and rehabilitates injured and orphaned baby elephants and rhinos in Kenya. Thanks to your responses, IAIA donated a total of almost US$1,000 to the Trust. Check out the rescue story of one fostered elephant, Musiara.
6. New IAIA special-interest Section formed
IAIA is pleased to announce the formation of a new Section: Governance and Implementation Systems. Its purpose is to address in a holistic way the entire ESIA process and its implementation by countries and institutions. The organizers believe that the timing is excellent to meet a growing and unmet need to address important implementation challenges and system weaknesses that have been consistently identified around the globe. Section co-coordinators are Cheryl Wasserman, Environmental Governance Institute International, and Heather Smith, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
7. Career Central: New position posted
Check out the positions posted in IAIA’s Career Central, connecting employers and job seekers in the field of impact assessment.
New position available:
Environmental assessment specialist / secretary (Dutch-speaking) - Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment
Is your company hiring? Consider posting the position in Career Central—IAIA members can post jobs for free!
8. Bloggers wanted!
IAIA is seeking guest contributors from among our membership for our blog, ImpactREACT. In exchange for writing a short blog post, not only will you gain additional exposure and credibility both within and outside of the Association, but following your post, you also have the potential to use our networking tool, IAIAConnect, to get to know members you may not have previously met and discuss their feedback. IAIA is an engaged, opinionated, growing, professional family, and what we like best is to connect with each other. If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Howell at IAIA Headquarters (jen@iaia.org) for additional information and guidelines.
9. Upcoming Branch and Affiliate events
EIA New Zealand’s annual conference will be held in Wellington, New Zealand, 30-31 October 2017, with the theme of “Tu Kaha: Stand Tall. Fronting up with wicked solutions.†NZAIA is offering three scholarships to support postgraduate students to attend.
KSEIA: The Korean Society of Environmental Impact Assessment (KSEIA) will hold its autumn conference 19-21 October at Jeju National University, Jeju Islands, South Korea. The theme of the conference is “Ecosystem Services and Impact Assessment.†For more information, contact Ms Sukjin Jeon, kseia92@daum.net.
APAI: IAIA’s Portuguese Affiliate, Associação Portuguesa de Avaliação de Impactes, will hold a conference, Avaliação de Impactes no Património, 8-9 November 2017 at Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval in Sintra, Portugal.
