Every day engineering, construction, and development projects pose a level of risk/damage/harm to the environment. As an international industry best practice, project implementers are required to undertake a suite of environmental and social assessments, prior, during, and after the implementation of such projects. This helps in assessment of environmental and social risks, impacts, and opportunities, thus informing on strategies and best alternatives to mitigate or avoid potential environmental and social risks. These studies are aimed at the overall goal of screening, preparation, implementation, and monitoring of projects.
The whole process of undertaking the different environmental process studies requires up-to-date knowledge of numerous environmental and social standards, while the process of obtaining the various environmental permits and documentation can be arduous. Our team is well versed in coordinating line agencies and local agencies for environmental permits. We streamline the process by anticipating the permits that a project will need, preparing the applications, and negotiating permit stipulations or mitigations with the jurisdictional agencies. This approach noticeably reduces unexpected delays to help meet the project’s schedule.
Environmental studies and permits are needed for a wide range of projects in the engineering sector ranging from fuel stations and fuel depots, quarries and mines, road construction projects, landfill projects, manufacturing plants, among others. Without undertaking the requisite environmental studies and obtaining all applicable permits, such businesses risk hefty fines and penalties from enforcement agencies, making the studies MANDATORY and indispensable. Our expertise enables us to skillfully navigate the processes, prepare orderly documents, fast track the process of securing approvals, permitting, and licensing, and planning support, enabling clients move their projects forward with confidence. This is made possible given the breadth of expertise from our multidisciplinary team that includes engineers, sociologists, biologists, chemists, geologists, hydrogeologists, toxicologists, and hazmat specialists.
Our team of duly licensed and certified environmental practitioners offers the following services;
- Environmental auditing,
- Environmental valuation/environmental accounting,
- Environmental pollution assessment,
- Biodiversity surveys i.e. biodiversity impact assessments and critical habitat assessments, reptile surveys, flora and fauna surveys, tree surveys, protected species surveys, habitat surveys, invasive plant species surveys,
- Natural resources auditing,
- Strategic environmental assessments (SEA),
- Environmental screening assessments/risk assessments,
- Environmental and social due diligence (ESDD),
- Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards,
- Contaminated land risk assessments,
- Environmental due diligence,
- Environmental social management frameworks (ESMF),
- Environmental and social management and monitoring plans (ESMMP),
- Environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA),
- Catchment management plans (CMP),
- Wetland ecology and management,
- River restoration studies,
- Flora and fauna assessments,
- Carbon auditing/carbon foot printing/carbon stock assessments,
- Carbon market registration and certification processes (carbon credit markets) for both voluntary and compliance markets i.e. international carbon standards as Verra CCB, Gold Standard, IFC performance standards, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), UNDRIP principles (United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples), and REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries and additional forest related activities that protect the climate, namely sustainable management of forests and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks). We are experienced with monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) frameworks, baseline methodologies/assumptions, emissions/GHG reduction calculations, carbon market environments, blended financing, trade and trading platforms,
- River erosion/deposition risk assessments,
- Design of post-project appraisal and monitoring services,
- Contaminated site remediation/restoration,
- Oil spill management and response planning,
- Pollution and waste management,
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation,
- Disaster response planning,
- Environmental and disaster risk assessment and management,
- Industrial pollution control and evaluation,
- Assessment of natural disasters/hazards e.g. landslides, slope stability assessments, land subsidence monitoring, coastal erosion monitoring,
- Natural resource valuations and resource assessments,
- Land use planning and management,
- Wetlands ecology assessments,
- Water source protection planning,
- Environmental pollution assessments,
- Water quality assessments,
- Biodiversity inventory, analysis, and mapping,
- Wetlands management and conservation,
- Renewable energy assessments,
- Ecosystem health assessments,
- Natural resources assessment and GIS Mapping,
- Forestry ecosystem assessment and conservation,
- Wetland resources management,
- Soil quality assessments,
- Botanical assessments,
- Brownfield redevelopment and urban regeneration,
- Bioremediation for challenging environments,
- PFAs soil remediation,
- Human health biomonitoring,
- DNAPL and LNAPL remediation,
- HRSC and 3D site characterization,
- PFAs management strategies,
- PFAs water treatment,
- Soil bioremediation,
- Site assessment for vapor intrusion,
- Solutions for POPs and pesticides,
- Circular economy solutions for environmental remediation,
- Soil health and emerging contaminants,
- Groundwater remediation,
- Carbon capture and storage (CCS),
- Landfill leachate treatment,
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAs) substances site screening and initial characterization,
- Management of contaminated sites,
- Soil treatment,
- Soil health monitoring,
- Disaster and environmental risk assessments.
In planning and execution of environmental and natural resource projects, there is an increase globally in the perceived requirement for “social license” above and beyond government regulatory review. Without proper relationship building and understanding of community and indigenous perspectives, many resource projects face challenges during construction and operation.
We understand that social license must be achieved, but not at the cost of technical and economic merits of the project. We work with our clients to ensure that meaningful engagement occurs that satisfies public expectations, regulatory requirements, and lender requests, with due consideration of project realities.
Our team of social specialists is highly experienced in the practical development and execution of:
- Social baseline investigations,
- Socio-economic analysis/social economic surveys/socio-economic studies,
- Social impact assessments,
- Resettlement action plans (RAP) and resettlement frameworks for project affected persons (PAP),
- Stakeholder engagement plans (SEP),
- Stakeholder identification and mapping,
- Stakeholder consultation and engagement,
- Social safeguards planning,
- Gender mainstreaming studies,
- Development of gender action plans (GAP),
- Development of grievance redress mechanisms (GRM),
- Property valuations,
- Design of equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms/drafting of community benefit-sharing agreements (i.e. revenue distribution, livelihood programs),
- Ensuring project adherence to FPIC (free, prior, and informed consent),
- Socio project monitoring and evaluation (M&E)/Socio-economic monitoring and research,
- Delivery of stakeholder engagement training programs to client personnel.
Our social impact assessments, public consultation programs, community development plans, indigenous peoples’ development plans, and resettlement action plans combine to promote globally relevant best practices in social responsibility.