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Description

Development and Biodiversity: Assessing Impacts and Applying the Mitigation Hierarchy

Build a robust biodiversity chapter and defend the selected measures before the reviewing authority

  • 4 days — 28 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • All levels
  • Up to 6 participants

A permit application is often weakened by its biodiversity chapter: surveys launched outside favourable seasons, an incomplete baseline, reduction measures announced without evidence of effectiveness, and offsets located in the wrong place. The project loses time, sometimes several seasons, and becomes exposed to challenge.

Four days to build the biodiversity chapter of a permit application: scoping the surveys, characterising the baseline, assessing impacts, applying the avoid-reduce-offset mitigation hierarchy and monitoring the measures. The programme addresses the technical content of the file, not the planning procedure itself.

Learning objectives

  • Scope ecological surveys according to the anticipated issues and favourable seasons
  • Assess the quality of a baseline study and identify its shortcomings
  • Characterise the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the project
  • Apply the avoid-reduce-offset hierarchy and justify each choice
  • Size and locate offset measures and their monitoring over time

What makes this programme different

A real biodiversity chapter is examined in detail using a reviewer's assessment grid
Measures are prioritised and then justified one by one in front of the group
Offset sizing is worked through on a quantified case in areas and timeframes

Programme

1Ecological issues of a project

Identifying what is genuinely at stake on the site

  • Habitats, species and ecological functions
  • Protected and inventoried areas and the weight they carry
  • Ecological connectivity and fragmentation effects
  • Issues prioritised according to sensitivity and rarity

2Baseline study and field surveys

Building the file on defensible data

  • Preliminary scoping and definition of study areas
  • Favourable seasons and survey effort by species group
  • Collection of existing data and the limits of its use
  • Mapping outputs and traceability of observations
  • Shortcomings most frequently raised during review

3Impact assessment

Linking the project to expected effects on habitats

  • Impacts during construction and during operation
  • Direct, indirect, temporary and permanent effects
  • Cumulative effects with other known projects
  • Qualifying intensity and the level of residual impact
  • The specific case of protected species

4Avoid, reduce, offset and monitor

Justifying each measure and securing its implementation

  • Avoidance measures: locational and technical
  • Reduction measures and the conditions for their effectiveness
  • Sizing, siting and land security for offset measures
  • Supporting measures and long-term monitoring
  • Client commitments and verification of compliance

5Defending the file

Getting through review and public consultation

  • Readability of the biodiversity chapter and non-technical summary
  • Responding to requests for additional information
  • Presenting arguments to consulted bodies
  • Taking public comments into account
  • Life of the file after the permit is granted

Who is it for

Project managers and clients · environmental study officers · consultancy teams and junior ecologists · officers reviewing permit applications.

Prerequisites

Be involved in leading or reviewing development projects subject to environmental impact assessment.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.