Infrastructure development has direct, indirect and cumulative impacts with impacts extending beyond the immediate surroundings where construction and use occur. Many impacts on biodiversity are long-term, eventually leading to a reduction in available natural habitat, restriction in the movement of fauna, and decline in population sizes of species. The impacts tend to be complex in affecting not only wildlife population dynamics but also ecosystems, on which both humans and wildlife depend.

The focus of the course is to strengthen the application of the mitigation hierarchy at all levels of the project cycle and strengthen linkages between biodiversity protection and good engineering in design, construction, and operation across all sectors (roads, hydros, wind, and solar). This course, relying on good practice case studies and exercises, will demonstrate practical solutions to protect biodiversity. It will also highlight the opportunities for enhancing biodiversity values in infrastructure projects and the use of indigenous and local knowledge for the identification of mitigation measures.

The course will discuss:

• The multi-level approach to infrastructure development
• Upstream tools
• Ecological assessment tools
• Good engineering practices at the project level
• Construction management in sensitive areas
• Good practices in offsets planning
  
  

Participants will also receive a comprehensive set of manuals and guidelines related to the course content.

Juan D. Quintero is a Civil and Environmental Engineer, with over 40 years of experience in risk assessment, mitigation and compensation of environmental and social impacts associated with development projects, especially transport and hydroelectric projects built around the world. He received the IAIA Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2016 for “significant contribution to impact assessment leading to mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in infrastructure projects around the world.” Juan is a Certified Assessor for the application of the International Hydropower Association (IHA) Sustainable Protocol for Hydropower development.

Aradhna Mathur is an environmental specialist with over 16 years of experience working on the nexus of conservation and development promoting the concept of Biodiversity Friendly Infrastructure. She has experience in policy analysis, evaluating environmental compliance of developmental projects, and reviewing the application of measures to minimize environmental risks. 
Her work includes:

• Developing and promoting the concept of ‘Smart Green Infrastructure’ to ensure infrastructure development is biodiversity friendly
• Preparation of manuals and guidance for protecting natural habitats in infrastructure projects across different sectors
• Reviewing numerous projects for compliance with the environmental policies and standards.

All course times are listed in UTC. Make sure to check that the time of this course works for you in your time zone. 

Pricing: USD$480 for IAIA members/USD$580 for non-members. Please note that payment is due by the registration deadline.

Registration instructions: Create or login to your Member Compass account. Register online using a credit card. To pay via wire, choose the invoice option at checkout. If paying via wire, please keep in mind that payment is due by the registration deadline, and wire transfers can take several days to process. Please plan accordingly. 

Please register early! The course will be cancelled if the minimum number has not been reached one week before the course start date. If the training course is cancelled at that time due to low enrollment, IAIA will notify you and provide refund information.

Payment & refund policies: Registration is not confirmed until payment has been received and a receipt has been issued. Pre-registration and pre-payment by individual course deadline is required. IAIA will refund registration fees upon written request received before the specific course deadline; a US$125 processing fee will be retained. After the course deadline date, no refunds will be issued for cancelations or no-shows. Substitutions for paid registrants may be made in writing without financial penalty.