Session Description
Over the past 50 years, IA has generated experience in predicting impacts, developing mitigation measures and informing decisions. But as IAIA27 challenges us to look back to move forward, an important question remains: what have we learned from the outcomes?
While considerable effort is invested in predicting impacts before approval, less attention is often given to understanding whether those predictions were accurate, whether mitigation measures worked, and whether projects delivered the environmental and social outcomes intended.
The intention of this panel is to explore the lessons that monitoring, follow-up, compliance, adaptive management and post-project evaluation can offer. Authors / Contributors are invited to share case studies, research and practical experience that compare outcomes against predictions and commitments.
The discussion is intended to focus on how regulators, practitioners, industry, researchers and communities can better use evidence from implementation to strengthen future assessments, improve accountability and inform better decision-making.
Contributions are welcome from all areas of impact assessment, including environmental, social, health, climate, biodiversity, strategic and cumulative effects assessment.
Session Summary
Impact assessment is built on prediction, but what can we learn from actual outcomes? This panel explores lessons from monitoring, follow-up and implementation, asking how experience from past projects can help improve future assessments, strengthen accountability and deliver better environmental and social outcomes.
Additional Information
This session directly responds to the IAIA27 theme, "Looking back for the future of impact assessment," by encouraging reflection on what decades of impact assessment practice can teach us about improving future outcomes. We welcome case studies and reflections on monitoring, follow-up, mitigation effectiveness, adaptive management, compliance, and post-project evaluation. Contributions from all impact assessment disciplines, sectors, and geographies are encouraged.
Session Chair
Aurelia Mendes
WSP
United Arab Emirates