This course summarizes the state of professional practice regarding CEA within EIA processes, demonstrates fundamental requirements for cumulative effects assessment for a proposed industrial project in South Africa, illustrates determination of significance of cumulative effects, discusses adaptive management (and monitoring) as follow-up activities for large-scale proposals (specifically for cumulative effects), and summarizes policy choices and collaboration approaches for the development of local and regional cumulative effects mitigation and management initiatives. The basic premise is that CEA should be an integral part of, and not separate from, both in-country and international EIA processes. The fundamental requirements are focused on stepwise procedures with international best practice principles. These procedures and related principles identify key valued components (VCs), focusing on those for which CEA is appropriate; delineating spatial and temporal boundaries for each of the VCs; describing historical baseline and future conditions and trends; establishing cause-effect linkages between past, present, and future actions and VCs; determining the significance of cumulative effects; and development of adaptive management and project mitigation and regional management programs, as appropriate to deal with cumulative effects. Practical processes for both preparing and reviewing CEA-related documents will be emphasized, along with presentations on selected international case studies and workshop sessions involving interactive groups. Practical discussions will be incorporated by the professional participants and presented to the entire class.

Level:	Intermediate to Advanced
Prerequisites:	Foundation training on EIA (environmental impact assessment) or CEA (cumulative effects assessment) (professional-level short course or University-level specific course or program) and/or minimum of 2 years in professional experience in planning and conducting EIA or CEA for environmental impact studies. (Note: these prerequisites do not apply to student participants.)
Language:	English
Duration:	2 days (14-15 May)
Price:	US$475
Min/Max:	10-50
Instructor(s):	Bill Ross, Retired Professor of Environmental Science, University of Calgary (Canada)
Special Note:	Laptops not required but useful

 

Dr. Bill Ross is an emeritus Professor of Environmental Design in the Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary (since January 2009). He has a BSc degree from the University of Manitoba, and a PhD degree in physics from Stanford University. His main academic interests are in EIA and CEA. He has been a member of eight Canadian Environmental Assessment panels, and he has been a member and chair of the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency for the Ekati Diamond Mine, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Dr. Ross is also the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, including several related to CEA. Further, he was a co-author of the highly respected “Cumulative Effects Assessment Practitioners Guide” (Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, 1999). In addition, he was the Founding President of the Western and Northern Canada Affiliate of IAIA. Dr. Ross also received IAIA’s Rose-Hulman Award at the 2009 annual conference held in Accra.