Introduction to SAIEA

Transcription

1 (reg: T117/2002) Intrductin t SAIEA The Suthern African Institute fr Envirnmental Assessment (SAIEA) is the regin s nly nnprfit rganizatin dedicated t prmting Envirnmental Assessment (EA) as a tl fr achieving sustainable develpment. SAIEA s platfrm is built n the fundatins laid by the Suthern African Develpment Cmmunity s Sustainable Develpment Strategy, which identifies EA as a key planning tl in a regin with fragile living natural resurces, high ppulatin grwth, and increasing industrializatin. Mst African gvernments have adequate plicies, laws and guidelines fr EA, but their institutins and fficials cannt cpe with the vlume and cmplexity f the EA reprts they must guide and review. Similarly, there are inadequate resurces fr lng term mnitring, research and strategic analysis that are needed t track prgress twards achieving sustainable develpment. These circumstances reduce the effectiveness f EA and the chances f cuntries realizing their sustainable develpment gals. SAIEA was established, largely at the request f African gvernments, t prvide services relating t the abvementined capacity gaps. SAIEA is gverned by a Bard f Trustees and has been perating since 2001 under the guidance f the Internatinal Assciatin fr Impact Assessment (IAIA). The Trustees include prminent envirnmental prfessinals, develpment experts, gvernment fficials and EA practitiners frm varius cuntries in the regin, and an IAIA representative. SAIEA s incme is earned thrugh prject and cnsultancy services. SAIEA services: EA quality cntrl (independent guide and review) Strategic Envirnmental Assessment (SEA) Plicy, legal and Institutinal strengthening Pst-implementatin mnitring and auditing Best practice guidelines EA training and capacity building SAIEA cntact details Namibia ffice: P.O.Bx 6322 Windhek, Namibia Frans Indng Street Windhek Tel +264 (0) Fax +264 (0) peter.tarr@saiea.cm r gudrun.denker@saiea.cm Suth Africa ffice: PO Bx 380 Nrdhek, 7979, Suth Africa Tel: +27 (0) Fax: +27 (0) bwa@saiea.c.za Website: SAIEA s missin is supprting sustainable develpment in Africa thrugh prmting the effective and efficient use f Envirnmental Assessment as a planning tl.

2 Prmting Sustainable Develpment in Africa EIA Quality Cntrl Since May 2001, SAIEA has prvided Guide and Review services by assisting prpnents and gvernments with the develpment f Terms f Reference fr EAs. External reviews have been carried ut fr ver 100 EA studies in Angla, Btswana, Lesth, Mzambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Lene, Suth Africa, Tanzania and Uganda in the fllwing sectrs: Irrigated agriculture, Bifuel estates, Sustainable fisheries, Ec-turism, Mining, Pwer generatin (nuclear, hydr, gas) Pwer transmissin, Offshre gas explratin and prductin, Animal husbandry, Waste management, Transprt infrastructure, Grundwater abstractin, Seawater desalinatin, and Urban and industrial develpment prjects. SAIEA uses custmized templates and a team f experienced prfessinals fr reviewing Scping Studies, EAs and EMPs. SAIEA s EA review system is recgnised as being ne f the mst cmprehensive in Africa and has set the benchmark fr EA quality cntrl in the regin. Strategic Envirnmental Assessment Where apprpriate, SAIEA encurages the use f Strategic Envirnmental Assessment (SEA) since this is regarded as a mre efficient way f using EA tls in the pursuit f sustainable develpment. SAIEA has cnducted majr SEAs in the fllwing sectrs ver the past few years: Given SAIEA s quality cntrl rle, it des nt cnduct prject-level EIAs there are a number f wellestablished cnsultancy firms in the Regin that prvide this service. An imprtant aspect f SAIEA s Guide and Review service, is cmbining reviews with training: where the authrities are brught nt the review team fr handsn learning. This expsure enables fficials t significantly imprve their skills and cnfidence. Agriculture and rural develpment Mining and assciated infrastructure Wetland management and develpment Castal and marine ecsystems management and develpment Land use plans Natinal develpment plans. 2

3 Prmting Sustainable Develpment in Africa Plicy, legal and Institutinal strengthening The increasing vlume and cmplexity f EAs cnducted in Africa is placing unprecedented strain n gvernment institutins, which are generally unable t cpe with the reprts they are expected t evaluate. This ften results in inefficiencies and circumventin f administrative systems, thus undermining the integrity f EA-related plicies, laws and institutins. SAIEA has assisted cuntries in the develpment f simple, practical and efficient administrative tls and systems, t imprve management. This has been reinfrced thrugh training. SAIEA has als been invlved in the develpment and review f a range f plicies and laws in varius African cuntries. A recent innvatin is the EA Barmeter, which is a targeted diagnstic tl that assesses the extent t which a cuntry has a functining EA system (see separate flyer). Pst-implementatin mnitring and auditing In mst African cuntries, fllw-up n the implementatin f Envirnmental Management Plans and adherence t licence cnditins stipulated by the envirnment agency, are inadequate. Usually, prpnents are left t their wn devices and seldm put enugh effrt int implementing envirnmental safeguards. SAIEA prvides an independent mnitring service t assess cmpliance with licence cnditins, and the effectiveness f avidance r mitigatin measures. Best-practice guidance SAIEA has prduced a number f resurce materials aimed at imprving the way that sustainable develpment tls are understd and applied. The first was a bk n EA in suthern Africa in 2003, fllwed by 20 case studies that illustrate EA best practice. All SAIEA s materials can be dwnladed frm SAIEA has advised the New Partnership fr Africa s Develpment (NEPAD), SADC and the African Unin n finding ways f imprving the use f EA, as well as assisting varius African cuntries n dealing with transbundary issues in EA prcesses. Other resurces prduced by SAIEA include: Cmpilatin (and regular updating) f a handbk n EA Legislatin in the SADC Regin (in cllabratin with the Develpment Bank f Suthern Africa) Guidance n integrating HIV and genderrelated issues int EA (in cllabratin with UNDP) Guidance n the integratin f bidiversity issues int EA (n behalf f IAIA) Imprving the rle f EA in prmting gvernance in decisin making knwn as the Calabash Prject Guidance n the use f EA in the Western Indian Ocean Regin (fr UNEP) Guidance n the use f EA in the Zambia rads sectr Guidance n the use f EA in the ffshre mining sectr in the Benguela marine ecsystem Guidance n reducing risks f aircraft/wildlife cllisins at Namibian airprts. 3

4 Prmting Sustainable Develpment in Africa Training and capacity building The building f lcal capacity t manage varius aspects f EA in Africa is ne f the cre bjectives f SAIEA. It achieves this thrugh the fllwing activities: Cnducting capacity needs assessments Develping and delivering training curses (basic and advanced) Mentring (n the jb expsure) Infrmatin disseminatin Making use f lcal cnsultants (thus building their experience). Curses n ffer include: Intrductin t Envirnmental Assessment Quality Assurance in EA Public participatin and EA Integratin in EA Sustainable Develpment fr Decisin Makers Cnsidering HIV and gender-related issues in EA Bidiversity and EA Strategic Envirnmental Assessment Cleaner Prductin. Training curses n tpics relating t EA have been develped and delivered in many African cuntries. New curses are evlving in respnse t grwing demand and changing circumstances (see bx). Curses are delivered accrding t the Harvard training methdlgy, which emphasizes the need t build bth knwledge and skills. Curses cmbine thery with practical, interactive exercises. Curses are custmized t the needs f the participants, and are ffered n demand (either in the cuntry requesting the curse, r any venue preferred by the client). We ffer a ne-stp service that includes capacity building needs assessments, preparing and delivering the curse, prviding curse materials, making all lgistical arrangements if required, and pst training mnitring and evaluatin. A unique Prfessinal Develpment (PD) Prgramme teaching skills thrugh learning-by-ding - has been develped and pilted. It is envisaged that this prgramme will train many emerging African envirnmental practitiners in few years. 4

5 Prmting Sustainable Develpment in Africa Netwrking SAIEA is actively invlved in many sub-reginal netwrks and rganizatins, such as the Suthern African Institute f Eclgists and Envirnmental Scientists (SAIE&ES) and IAIA Suth Africa. At a glbal level, SAIEA participates regularly in the activities f IAIA including cnducting training curses, delivering papers and chairing sessins at their annual cnferences. Awards and recgnitin Internatinal Assciatin fr Impact Assessment (IAIA) In 2003, SAIEA received IAIA s prestigius Institutin f the Year Award fr leadership in capacity building and the prmtin f sustainable develpment in suthern Africa. This was nly the secnd time in 25 years that this award had been bestwed upn an African institutin. SAIEA has and cntinues t play a leading rle in the develpment f a Pan-African netwrk f envirnmental practitiners, plicy makers, academics, regulatrs and administratrs. The netwrk is knwn as Capacity and Linkages in Envirnmental Assessment in Africa (CLEAA). SAIEA was instrumental in develping the CLEAA capacity building strategy and is regularly requested t assist sub-reginal EA ndes in ther parts f Africa in develping their structures and plicies. CLEAA has a number f innvative prject prpsals that might be f interest t ptential partners (see separate flyers as well as In 2005, the Prfessinal Develpment Fellws mentring prgramme crdinated by SAIEA, was selected fr special recgnitin by IAIA, and in 2013, SAIEA s Executive Directr received IAIA s Individual Award fr Sustained and Significant Cntributins t Impact Assessment. IAIA is the wrld s fremst rganizatin dealing with Impact Assessment. It is highly influential glbally, and is respnsible fr setting a cde f cnduct fr envirnmental practitiners as well as fr imprving prfessinal standards in the industry (see 5

6 Prmting Sustainable Develpment in Africa Awards and recgnitin cnt. Internatinal Assciatin fr Public Participatin (IAP2) SAIEA s Calabash Prject was awarded Prject f the Year 2005 by the Internatinal Assciatin fr Public Participatin. This was in recgnitin f the innvative wrk dne by the Calabash team. The Calabash Prject develped tls and methdlgies fr imprving the way that civil sciety can becme invlved in a psitive way in develpment planning. The Calabash Prject has raised awareness and prvided excellent resurces that can be used by develpers (prpnents), EA practitiners, authrities, civil sciety rganizatins and the public, t imprve the way that develpment initiatives are planned and implemented. These and a number f ther resurces are freely available n SAIEA s website ( Recgnitin by the Namibian gvernment SAIEA s Executive Directr was nminated Scientist f the Year 2005 by the Namibian gvernment. The award was largely in respnse t the wrk dne by SAIEA in Namibia and ther SADC cuntries. In the picture belw Peter Tarr receives the award frm Prime Minister Nahas Angula. Recgnitin by the African Unin They say great ideas and hard wrk f a few peple can impact the entire wrld. This seems t be the case with SAIEA. We feel encuraged t be assciated in any way with yur rganizatin. Ambassadr Susan Sikaneta, Suthern Africa Reginal Office, African Unin. February Cmments by SAIEA trainees I was ne f the lucky Africans t be trained by experts at SAIEA. This experience has changed my life. Emma Kambewa, SAIEA Prfessinal Develpment Fellw, Lilngwe, Malawi. The training has enhanced my skills and cnfidence, enabling me take up a new jb at IUCN as prject crdinatr fr the frest gvernance prject in Eastern Africa. Yassin Mkwizu, Tanzania. After being a PD Fellw, I have ffered placements fr and mentred new Fellws at my cnsultancy cmpany. Duncan Oyar, Kenya.