Course Background


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Complexities of managing multiple forms of development projects and plans, ascending economic trajectory, climate change issues, and impacts of growing demands from nature for resources and ecosystem benefits make the science and practice of impact assessment most challenging. Therefore, evolving more sophisticated impact assessment approaches to promote inclusive developments is genuinely needed in the digital age.

The purpose of biodiversity conservation is to provide the greatest good to the greatest number of people for the longest time' observed Gifford Pinchot, the eminent conservationist. Impact assessment practice should therefore, project and resolve the conservation issues associated with development plans and proposals. Development of enabling tools for mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem benefits in impact assessment has accordingly emerged as a priority for a range of beneficiaries.

Trainers need to enrich the knowledge and improve their competence to advance impact assessment practice.  Practitioners have to be on the lookout for robust and recent methodologies for raising the profile of biodiversity to aid good assessments and to fast track the process. Decision-makers need to have better negotiating tools for biodiversity gains from development.  Policy makers must encourage best options for achieving the win-wins to resolve the dilemmas of conservation and development.  Business groups need to understand why they must pay for biodiversity conservation as a debt for destruction from past actions and as dues for drawing from the nature in future. Donors require greater level of insight and trust for investing in sustainable and responsible development.

Novel ideas, new tools, digital data sources, technological choices and innovative thinking can improve EA practice. This course provides an opportunity to a range of target groups-trainers, practitioners, development planners, business groups, conservation community, decision-makers, donor agencies and economists to take home adequate guidance for steering development towards greater convergence of economic well-being and ecological sustainability goals.