Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) has become a critical tool to identify project risks that can lead to costly project delays. This holistic approach builds positive stakeholder relationships, identifies and solves problems early on, effectively manages risks, avoids costly scheduling delays and, ultimately, identifies those social license items that require change in order to operate.

 

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is a comprehensive, concept-to-completion methodology that involves all stakeholders from the start, relies upon sound science at every stage and works to achieve sustainable development throughout a project’s lifecycle.

ESIA Methodology

Our Environmental and Social Impact Assessment practice brings together specialist the following disciplines

• Physical disciplines such as hydrology, water quality, noise and air quality
• Biological disciplines including terrestrial and aquatic ecology, biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Social disciplines including health, cultural sciences/archaeology and socio-economics
• Stakeholder engagement and social management strategies, policies and practices

Each project typically requires a multidisciplinary team of environmental and social scientists along with information technologists and project management professionals. New services include indigenous people development planning, human rights assessment, health impact assessment, critical habitat evaluation and biodiversity offset planning, ecosystem services and climate change adaptations.

Specialised ESIA Practice Areas:

Equator Principle Audits – Independent reviews of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments are required by most lenders. AGV’s auditing expertise can identify recommendations to help projects meet local and international standards, minimise project related risks and show organisational commitment to environmental and social responsibility.

Climate Change Adaptations – We have the expertise to assess projected climate scenarios to determine a project’s potential effects on the environment and on how climate change could affect the project.

Health Impact Assessment – Assessing the effects of development projects on human and community health is an essential activity towards understanding their social impacts. By understanding this, development projects can take steps to prevent disease and injury and to actively promote improvements to community health.

Human Rights Assessment – Operating companies and development projects must demonstrate that they do not infringe on human rights through their activities and business relationships. Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs) help ensure that existing and planned projects meet their responsibility to respect human rights.

Indigenous People Development Plan Services (IPP) –  Seeking to understand capacity and resources limitations to maximize local development opportunities that are in line with the vision that indigenous peoples have for their communities and territories.