Environmental impact assessments (EIA) and strategic environmental assessments (SEA) are increasingly applied in developing countries to aid development planning. Many assessments, though, are still lacking a comprehensive identification and analysis of ecosystem services (ES), despite a growing consensus amongst scientific literature that the benefits of ES to human well-being can hardly be overstated and should be integrated into plans and strategies. At the same time development financiers like IFC requires ES analysis within project EIAs to qualify for loans. This could become more widespread and with this training we seek to prepare IA practitioners for this situation.

Improving ES assessments in IA by determining impact and dependencies of human activities on ES provides practitioners with arguments to better convey the importance of ecosystems to relevant decision-makers. Moreover, it allows identifying potential unintended negative consequences of an activity that might otherwise be overlooked and thus helps to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems and log-term viability of developments and plans.

In this training we showcase the '6-Step approach', which offers a guide to assess ES in project and plans. Participants will also be introduced to specific instruments and methods via the ValuES Inventory of Methods (www.aboutvalues.net).

The training applies the Harvard Case Methodology. A series of exercises build around a fictitious case study, coupled with input lectures from the trainers, will help participants to understand materials and content. Over the last 4 years the IES-training has been conducted over 80 times in developing countries and in Germany. Experience in conducting IA and a basic understanding of natural systems and its functions are prerequisites for this intermediate level course.

Level:	Intermediate
Prerequisites:	Basic understanding of ecosystem functions and ecological concepts
Language:	English
Duration:	2 days (9-10 May)
Price:	US$475
Min/Max:	10-19
Instructor(s):	Ulrike Tröger,  Advisor, ValuES project, Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Germany) Isabel Renner, Freelance Consultant (Germany)

Ulrike Tröger
Environment and Climate Division, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Eschborn, Germany

Ulrike Tröger is a sustainable development and natural resource management specialist. As part of the ValuES project team she developed trainings focusing on the ecosystem services approach and how to make it useful and impactful in decision-making processes. As part of the ValuES Team Ulrike has implemented and attended 10 trainings which received high scores by participants.

 

Isabel Renner
Freelance Consultant
Frankfurt, Germany

Isabel Renner is a rural development expert. Having worked in the fields of management of natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystem services, she facilitated more than 40 trainings in Latin America, Asia and Africa. As a core team member she developed the IES-Training and rolled out its successful implementation.