A workshop on “Cultural heritage
and impact assessment” has been included in the program.
Submission of a paper should be
done online until 7 February 2008
Conference Theme: "The Art and Science
of Impact Assessment"
Impact assessment has developed over the past 35 years as a tool
for incorporating sound scientific knowledge into decision-making.
As practice has evolved and new forms such as SEA have emerged,
it has become increasingly apparent that expertise in the biophysical
sciences must be complemented by an understanding of social and
political processes. Impact assessment is therefore best seen as
both science and art, and it is only in this way that it can fulfill
its potential as a tool for influencing decision-making processes.
The current trajectory of global development highlights the need
for fundamental change in the way in which we think, act and make
decisions. This conference will explore questions of the role of
impact assessment in promoting societal change towards sustainability,
and particularly how the biophysical and the social sciences can
be meaningfully alloyed with the art of policymaking to contribute
to the change process. This is the challenge that impact assessment
practitioners are now called upon to meet.
What works? What doesn’t work? What challenges lie over the
horizon for impact assessment? We hope that you will come and share
with other participants your ideas, your experience, your concerns
and your hope for the future on these themes and the topics listed.
Conference Topics
IAIA08 participants will be encouraged to highlight how the various
instruments of impact assessment can assist developers, industry,
decision-makers, development cooperation providers, and the public
to integrate environmental, social, and other concerns in the fields
of:
- Climate change
- Energy issues
- Water
- Resource development
- Tourism
- Land use planning, transportation, landscape and aesthetics
- Coastal zone planning and management
- Development cooperation
- Poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals
- Environmental impact of trade agreements
- Environmental practice in Australia and New Zealand
Attention will also be given to:
- Governance
- Environmental ethics and law
- Enforcement and compliance
- Effectiveness
- Methods and instruments of impact assessment
- Environmental offsets and compensation
- Capacity building
- Engaging with indigenous people and the role of traditional
knowledge in impact assessment
In addition to these topics, papers, posters and workshops are
welcome on all aspects of the conference themes and within the scope
of other IAIA Section topics.
Proposed technical visits include:
- Mining, Refining and Rehabilitation
- Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management
- Sustainable Tourism and National Park Management
- Diversifying Water Supplies to Accommodate Climate Change
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