Check out the latest enews, sent 14 December
IAIA December 2018 e-news
​Table of Contents:
1. IAIA19: 31 December bursary program application deadline
IAIA19 will be held 29 April – 2 May 2019 in Brisbane, Australia, with training courses and technical visits planned for 27-28 April. #iaia19
The preliminary program and registration information are available online.
Students and young professionals bursary program: Up to 25 bursaries will be given to students and young professionals in the form of waived registration fees to attend IAIA19. The recipients are expected to cover all other costs associated with attending the conference. Potential candidates are those who have never before attended an IAIA annual conference, are 30 years of age or younger, and are either currently a student enrolled in an impact assessment or related undergraduate or graduate program OR are currently employed in the field of IA and living/working in a country listed under the World Bank’s GNI categories of low-income economies, lower-middle-income economies, and upper-middle-income economies. Full application instructions are posted at http://conferences.iaia.org/2019/students-and-young-professionals-bursary-program.php. The application deadline is 31 December 2018.
Why is Brisbane talking about revolution? The IAIA19 Organizing Committee invites you to read their article, “Evolution or revolution: What’s next for impact assessment?†in IAIA’s journal, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, at www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14615517.2018.1516846. This article is free for anyone to access through 30 June 2019.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for IAIA19. Download the sponsorship opportunities brochure to learn more about sponsor benefits and how you can make your company visible at IAIA19. And space is still available for exhibit booths and tables and other advertising opportunities. Visit http://conferences.iaia.org/2019/sponsors.php to download the IAIA19 Exhibitor Package.
Thank you to the following organizations who have already committed to sponsor IAIA19: Tourism and Events Queensland; Brisbane Marketing, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, NORAD, Cardno, and Oceana Gold.
2. Applications open for â€Foundations of Impact Assessment†online course starting in January
IAIA is offering its 12-week “Foundations of Impact Assessment†online course that will be open from 28 January through 19 April 2019. Participants start and complete the course within this period according to the schedule they arrange with their trainer.
Applications for the course are open now until 14 January 2019. The “Foundations of IA†course in EIA is the first in a planned series of online courses as part of IAIA’s Professional Development Program (PDP). It is designed for early-career professionals with some EIA experience and covers the basic principles and objectives of EIA, its core concepts and methods, and the fundamentals of EIA review processes and study management. The course adopts a comprehensive definition of “environment†to include the physical, biological, resource use, social, cultural, health, and economic dimensions of the project environment. Each course participant also receives personal support from an experienced IAIA trainer, especially through several online video conferences. The course should take about 20-30 hours to complete, and the cost is US$595.
January 14 – application deadline
January 18 – payment deadline (first-come-first-serve up to 20 accepted applicants)
January 28– course start date
For more information and to apply for the course, visit http://www.iaia.org/professional-development-program.php.
3. New FasTips available: Scoping
FasTips No. 18 is now available! Download Scoping for a quick and useful resource.
The FasTips series helps to improve best practice by offering practical clarification on frequently-asked questions and is particularly helpful when there is no time for investigating or reviewing others' experience or formal guidance.
Thanks to the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand Special Interest Section on Impact Assessment for their work on this document.
4. Biodiversity Convention CoP adopts decision on mainstreaming biodiversity
The Conference of Parties of the Biodiversity Convention has, in November, adopted a Decision on Mainstreaming of Biodiversity in the Energy and Mining, Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Processing Sectors. (CBD/COP/14/L20). In 2017, the Secretariat of the Convention requested the support of the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) to acknowledge the role of impact assessment in the mainstreaming agenda. NCEA organized side events at SBSTTA and SBI, produced business cases on SEA for three sectors, and drafted a capacity development agenda.
The Decision ‘recalls the 2006 voluntary guidelines on biodiversity-inclusive impact assessment, and recognises that there are opportunities to mainstream biodiversity in the mentioned sectors by means of integrated spatial and strategic planning. It recognizes that opportunities exist for the wider application of biodiversity-inclusive impact assessments, in particular strategic environmental assessment of policies, plans and programmes and the use of spatial planning at the national and regional levels’.
It encourages Parties, and public and private entities ‘to include approaches to conserve, enhance and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services in upstream decisions on investments in these sectors, through such available tools as strategic environmental assessments and integrated spatial planning, including the evaluation of alternatives to such investments, and to apply best practices on environmental impact assessments, to apply the mitigation hierarchy when planning and designing new projects and plans, and to review and, as appropriate, update legal frameworks, policies and practices, with the full and effective participation of relevant sectors, of indigenous peoples and local communities, of academia, women, youth and other relevant stakeholders’.
For more information, contact Arend Kolhoff (akolhoff@eia.nl) and Roel Slootweg (sevs@sevs.nl).
5. Call for conference hosts
Are you interested in hosting a future IAIA annual conference in your country?
IAIA is now accepting bids to host IAIA21 and IAIA22.
The Board evaluates many factors including location; proposed theme in relation to the IAIA mission, vision and values; quality of the proposal; and potential financial outcome.
Contact Jennifer Howell at IAIA HQ (jen@iaia.org) to express your interest and receive information on preparing an effective proposal.
6. December mining symposium wrap-up
An IAIA special symposium, “Improving Impact Assessment and Management in the Mining Sector†was held 4-5 December 2018 in London, UK. #iaiasymposium
The event brought together 127 practitioners representing government departments, permitting authorities, junior mining companies, large multi-national mining companies, NGOs, civil society representatives, mining engineers and industry experts. 30 countries were represented, including 63% from Europe, 22% from North and Central America, 3% from South America, 6% from Africa, 4% from Australia & Oceania, and 2% from Asia.
Presentations will not be posted online, but a formal Summary of Proceedings document will be posted in late January/early February.
IAIA is grateful to the following organizations who pledged their financial and in-kind support of this symposium: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); Centerra Gold; ERM; Golder; Lydian Armenia; Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development; SLR Consulting; AngloAmerican; and SRK Consulting.
7. Upcoming Branch, Affiliate, and Associated Organization events
Ireland-UK Branch: “Leadership in Impact Assessment.†21 January 2019 at the University of Liverpool Foresight Centre, UK. Leadership for assurance of quality (process, documentation and general development) is provided in different countries through different means and bodies. In this international symposium, participants will hear about different types of leadership from a range of international experts and discuss whether the UK may benefit from strengthening any particular type of leadership in the country. For inquiries and to register, please contact Raymond Hung (hungsfr@liverpool.ac.uk). Cost: £50. Registration is open until 14 January 2019 and is limited to 70 participants.
IAIAsa (IAIA South African Affiliate): Save the Date! 2019 National conference: “The Role of Integrated Environmental Management in the Economic Revival of South Africa. 21-23 August 2019. Limpopo, South Africa. The call for pre- and post-conference training proposals is now open. Please submit all training proposals to operations@iaiasa.co.za by 15 February 2019. For more conference information: http://www.iaiasa.co.za/DisplayLink.aspx?group=Annual Conference&name=2019.
8. IAIA Headquarters holiday office hours
IAIA HQ will be open through 12:00 pm US CST on Monday, 24 December, and will re-open on Wednesday, 2 January.
