Session Description
Despite the significant progress made in recent years, environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) processes remain lengthy, costly, and highly resource-intensive (some of which -especially the financial- are not always available during the early stages of project conception and design).
After reviewing the evolution of these studies, several important questions arise: How can the time required to conduct these assessments be reduced without compromising their technical rigor? Which components of the studies can be streamlined to lower costs and shorten timelines? What role should environmental authorities and project developers play in this new approach? Are there technological alternatives that could enable faster and more efficient environmental studies?
The session, structured around an initial set of presentations followed by a panel discussion, aims to examine this issue and propose practical alternatives that could make the ESIA process more accessible, efficient, and feasible for all stakeholders.
Session Summary
The session will be structured in two parts: i) a series of case study presentations highlighting key challenges encountered during ESIA preparation; and ii) a panel discussion to examine these challenges in greater depth and identify practical lessons for future processes.
Additional Information
The session will be open to the public. The first part will feature case studies on streamlining the EIA preparation process without compromising its technical rigor. The panel will then analyze these procedures, identify key lessons learned, and develop recommendations for future practice.
Session Chair
JUAN CARLOS PAEZ ZAMORA
IDB Invest
Ecuador
Session Co-chair
Alejandra Catacolí
IDB Invest
Colombia