Considerable evidence from countries across the globe has established that major development sectors viz., transportation and urban infrastructure and hydropower, mining and oil and gas exploration pose long-term implications for biodiversity conservation and resource sustainability. Biodiversity losses associated with habitat degradation, reduction and destruction; restriction in movement and migration of species; and displacement and isolation of species leading to their endangerment are some of the most pervasive threats invariably associated with major development sectors.

This obviously necessitates developing effective means of regulating development through a more responsive environmental planning to charter a new course of development that fosters growth on one hand and also protects the natural capital and meets the sustainability criteria. Most developed countries in the world have been able to internalize the use of EIA as a necessary prerequisite for improving environmental decision-making. The process has also been initiated in developing countries and countries in transition with varying levels of enthusiasm and success. The role of EIA in aiding decision-making and conservation planning has, however, been seriously constrained due to lack of focus on biodiversity issues in EIA framework. Good environmental assessment practices steer the planning of development projects along environmentally acceptable pathways by incorporating biodiversity concerns fairly early in project planning and also drive the project implementation based on sound ecological principles and nature engineering practices. Capacity building through a training course like this is a well-conceived approach to address and overcome the shortfalls in EIA practice.

This course is an initiative of the IAIA-CBBIA programme.