Technical Visits

A  |  Doñana National Park              

Doñana National Park is considered one of the most important natural protected areas in Europe. A key crossroads for migratory bird routes between Africa and Europe, it is also the last refuge for many endangered species. Without any doubt, this is one of the most important biodiversity hotspot of Europe.

The spectacular landscape of its flat plains is shaped by two primary ecosystems: pine forests and Mediterranean shrubs that grow in mostly sandy soil, and vast clay-lined marshes subject to a highly-seasonal water cycle.
The park features a great variety of ecosystems and shelters wildlife including thousands of European and African migratory birds, fallow deer, Spanish red deer, wild boars, European badgers, Egyptian mongooses, and endangered species such as the Spanish imperial eagle and the Iberian lynx. The area was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.

Sunday 24 May
Depart 12:30 | Return 20:00
Level of physical activity  Low to medium
Minimum-Maximum  19-58
Price $140 

Price includes transportation, coffee break, lunch, beverages on bus.  
Special notes  Comfortable clothes and footwear and sunscreen is recommended.

b  |  LAS CRUCES MINING AND METALLURGICAL Complexes

Cobre Las Cruces, the mining-hydrometallurgical complex located in the Seville province, is one of the principal benchmarks for international mining today, both because of its major role in the resurgence of metal mining in Spain and its technological innovations.

Las Cruces operates an open pit mine on the same site as a hydrometallurgical process plant, unique in Europe, that represents the principal technological innovation of the project. This is where the ore is transformed into sheets of copper, using a process that is considered by the international mining industry as a clean technology for obtaining metal.

Monday 25 May
Depart 08:30 | Return 12:30
Level of physical activity  Moderate
Minimum-Maximum  10-20
Price $75
Price includes transportation.

Special notes  Participants should plan to wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and sunscreen. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can take the complete tour except for the hydrometallurgical plant.

c  |  GEMASOLAR POWER PLANT AND LA MONCLOVA CASTLE

Gemasolar power plant is the world’s first commercial-scale plant that applies the technology of a central tower receiver and thermal storage. The plant is technologically unique, as it paves the way toward a new, more efficient technology for thermosolar power generation and provides greater prospects for reducing prices in the future. It also provides significant environmental benefits thanks to its use of a single thermal fluid with an inorganic basis that is harmless to the environment, and whose handling is restricted to a minimum portion of the area occupied by the plant.

This solar plant is located in the estate of the Duke of Infantado. After this futuristic visit to the solar plant, we will tour the 14th century La Monclova Castle, viewing the patios, the private chapel, the towers and the ducal salons, a unique collection of 18th and 19th century paintings with portraits of the family and others with hunting motifs, the tapestry room, and period furniture.

Monday 25 May
Depart 10:00 | Return 18:00
Level of physical activity  Low to moderate
Minimum-Maximum  15-50
Price $160

Price includes transportation, tours, and lunch. 

Special notes   Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and sunscreen.

D  |  Guadalquivir river tour - FULL

The Guadalquivir River is the only navigable river in Spain. Travel on a solar energy boat to see the city of Seville from the river in a different way:  without an environmental impact, without pollution, and without noise. The tour guides participants through several centuries of history in Seville, including the historical center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for some years now. See the minaret converted into a bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville (called La Giralda), the ancient Torre del Oro, and picturesque 19th century popular houses of Triana. Sail around the Parque de Maria Luisa to get a view of the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition. During the tour, a description of the most important environmental issues concerning the river Guadalquivir and its interaction with the city of Seville will be provided.

All registered participants will receive final tour instructions by email at the beginning of April. 

Price includes tour fare and cocktail hour including Spanish wine and cheese. 

Special notes   Participants should plan to wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

E  |  Rio Tinto mining park             

Observe the impacts of one of one of the largest abandoned opencast mines in the world. The Rio Tinto area of Huelva boasts 3,000 years of mining history, from the Phoenicians and Romans, right up to the 1990s. Arising out of the midst of the surrounding greenery, the giant opencast mines of Rio Tinto create a surreal, almost lunar landscape. The removal of layer upon layer of soil and rock, in the search for iron ore, copper, silver and a host of other mineral ores, has tinted this part of the world in hues of dusty pink, brown, yellow, red and grey. So great is the scale of operations that the depression created resembles a man-made crater that measures several kilometers across. Now closed, the resulting environmental conditions were chosen by NASA scientists to test hypothetical visits to Mars. The tour to Rio Tinto Mining Park includes the museum in the old hospital, the Peña de Hierro mine, and a Victorian-era British house.

Saturday 30 May
Depart 08:00 | Return 18:00
Level of physical activity  Low to moderate
Minimum-Maximum  15-50
Price $85

Price includes transportation and lunch.

Special notes  Walking shoes and sunscreen are recommended.

F |   Olive crop and integrated olive oil production

Delegates will be introduced to an olive crop system regulated under the term of integrated agriculture, which is an environmentally-friendly system in terms of pesticide and fertilizer use. After visiting the crops, the 1881 factory (https://aceite1881.com/) will be visited and will include a tasting of different olives and olive oils. Lunch will be provided in the historical city of Osuna, one of the most picturesque and beautiful cities of the province of Seville.

Saturday 30 May
Depart 08:30 | Return 17:30
Level of physical activity  Low to moderate 
Minimum-Maximum  15-50
Price $130

Price includes transportation, lunch, and water and refreshment on bus. 

Special notes  Comfortable clothes, walking shoes, and layered clothing are recommended. 

G  |  jerez winery>

The city of Jerez is the capital of Sherry wines, the Flamenco, and Spanish horses. Its cultural heritage includes ancient Iberian, Phoenician, Roman, and Arabic domination. 

Sherry wines are produced in historical “bodegas,” where they are aged for up to 100 years. This unique wine is distilled, producing “Brandy of Jerez.” Jerez is the city where flamenco singing and dancing began and is now proud to safeguard and promote the values and standards of this unique artistry, which is considered an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Jerez is also the original home of the Carthusian horse breed in Spain since the latter 1400s and home of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art and the “Yeguada Militar,” the Spanish military stud farm dedicated to the breeding of purebred Andalusian and Arabian horses.

The visit will include Conjunto Alcázar de Jerez (an emblamatic city monument) and Bodegas Gonzalez Byass (one of Spain’s most well-known Sherry bodegas).       

Saturday 30 May
Depart 09:00 | Return 20:00
Level of physical activity   Low to moderate
Minimum-Maximum  15-50
Price $150

Price includes transportation, tapas lunch, winery admission, and wine tasting. 

H  |  El Camorro International Bird Migration Centre              

El Camorro International Bird Migration Centre is an international referent for the study of the migration of birds through the Strait of Gibraltar. This center focuses on detecting the effects of climate change on living species and on preserving and improving the natural resources of the Strait of Gibraltar, an area particularly representative of the wealth of Spanish and European biodiversity. The main goal of this visit is to learn about the scientific work of the Migres Foundation, which manages this international bird migration observatory and was created as a compensatory measure of a big electric infrastructure.

The centre is 150 km away from Seville (2 hours by bus), which makes a two-day visit necessary. The overnight stay will be in the beautiful coast village of Tarifa. The second day, if the weather permits and the sea conditions are favorable, the visit includes a boat trip to see dolphins and whales out at sea.
Saturday-Sunday 30-31 May

Depart 10:00 30 May | Return 19:00 31 May
Level of physical activity  Low 
Minimum-Maximum  15-50
Price $395

Price includes transportation, 2 lunches, 1 dinner, beverages, and hotel. 

Special notes  Comfortable clothes, walking shoes, swimsuit, sunscreen, and sunglasses are recommended.

IAIA20 TECHNICAL VISIT WAIVER AND RELEASE

All technical visit participants upon check-in for the visits will be required to sign the liability release waiver appearing below.  

Note that neither IAIA, the organizing committee, nor venue will be held responsible for medical expenses, accidents, losses, or other unexpected damage to property belonging to conference participants, either during or as a result of the conference and during all tours and events.  Accordingly, participants are strongly advised to arrange their own insurance for health and accident, luggage, and trip cancellation.

* * * * * * * * *

I hereby WAIVE AND RELEASE the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) from liability pertaining to my participation in IAIA20 Technical Visits.

I understand and agree that I am releasing not only IAIA, but also IAIA’s officers, agents and employees.  I understand and agree that by signing this Waiver/Release, I am assuming full responsibility for any and all risk of personal injury, property damage or wrongful death that I may suffer while participating in the IAIA20 Technical Visit.

I understand and agree that this Waiver/Release will have the effect of releasing, discharging, waiving and forever relinquishing any and all actions or causes of action that I may have or have had, whether past, present or future, whether known or unknown, and whether anticipated or unanticipated by me, arising out of my participation in the IAIA20 Technical Visit, except for the grossly negligent acts or omissions of IAIA, its officers, agents or employees, as established by a court of competent jurisdiction.

I understand and agree this Waiver/Release is binding on me, along with my spouse, heirs, personal representatives, assignees, children or any guardian for said children.

I confirm that I do not have any physical limitations, medical ailments, or physical or mental disabilities that would limit or prevent me from participating in the IAIA20 Technical Visit, or alternatively that I am participating voluntarily despite my knowledge or suspicion of any such potential limitations, ailments, or disabilities.

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