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Description

Ecological Offsetting: Sizing Measures, Securing Land and Monitoring

Build an offsetting programme that withstands regulatory review and holds up for its full duration

  • 1 day — 7 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Offsetting is often addressed at the very end of a file, with areas announced but no site identified. The expected ecological gains are not demonstrated. Land tenure is not secured and long-term management has no funding. Regulatory review stalls on these points and the project owner has to reopen the design of the scheme.

One day, in-person or virtual, devoted solely to the offsetting component. You start from demonstrated residual impacts in order to size the measures. You select sites and verify their additionality. You secure land tenure and organise management and monitoring for the full duration of the commitments made.

Learning objectives

  • Demonstrate the residual impacts that justify offsetting
  • Size measures against the assessed ecological losses
  • Select offset sites and justify their additionality
  • Secure land tenure and the funding of management over time
  • Define monitoring arrangements and corrective action in the event of failure

What makes this programme different

Sizing worked through from a supplied baseline study and residual impacts
A comparison of land tenure arrangements and their robustness over time
Offsetting programmes reviewed by the group for their credibility

Programme

1From Residual Impact to Offsetting

Justify before you offset

  • Demonstrating that avoidance and reduction were applied first
  • Characterising residual ecological losses
  • Ecological equivalence and the choice of comparison units
  • Species and habitats that call for particular attention

2Designing the Programme

Sites, measures and schedule

  • Site search and selection criteria
  • Additionality of gains and baseline condition of the offset site
  • Nature of restoration or creation actions
  • Anticipating the time lag between impact and ecological gain

3Securing and Monitoring

Honouring commitments over time

  • Land tenure arrangements and tools for controlling the site
  • Funding of management and commitment of the site managers
  • Monitoring indicators and periodic reporting to the competent authorities
  • Corrective measures where results fall short

Who is it for

Project managers and project owners · ecologists and study officers · environment managers following development and infrastructure files.

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the mitigation hierarchy of avoid - reduce - offset is expected.

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.