Abulele Adams and Dhiveshni Moodley, who are environmental impact assessment experts at the CSIR, attended the annual gathering of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) from 8 to 11 May 2023 in the City of Kuching, Malaysia.

Held under the theme “Resilience through impact assessment and leadership”, the overarching objective of the conference was on exploring how impact assessment and leadership can accelerate transformation and sustain resilience in a world that requires immediate and impactful solutions.

Representing the CSIR and its expertise in environmental management, Adams presented a paper titled “Legislative changes to enable renewable energy development and build capacity in impact assessment in South Africa”. In her talk, she engaged conference delegates on how the CSIR has worked in close collaboration with government, industry, civil society and academia to contribute to legislative reform in South Africa, with the aim to facilitate responsible planning for renewable energy development. In particular, she referred to the Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) conducted by the CSIR on behalf of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment. This decision support tool has led to the designation of areas where large-scale renewable energy projects can be deployed and it facilitates the optimal planning of these projects in a way that minimises the impacts on the environment. The CSIR is also actively involved in developing associated legislative changes, supporting protocols and guidelines that have been published on various aspects of environmental impact assessments.

Adams was joined at the conference by Moodley, who plays an active role in environmental assessments for renewable energy planning. Moodley was successful in obtaining a full sponsorship from the IAIA to attend the conference. “Receiving the opportunity to attend this event has left me feeling very inspired! It has also generated ideas of what I can apply to planning for the renewable energy sector,” she says.

Reflecting on the conference, Adams says, “Having a wealth of international experts in one room discussing ways in which to improve impact assessments was one of the key highlights. Being able to benchmark South Africa’s progress in using different impact assessment tools to facilitate renewable energy development was invaluable.”

The IAIA is the leading international body for impact assessment practitioners, in particular those involved in environmental and social assessments.

Adams previously served as President of the South African Chapter of the IAIA (IAIA-SA) from 2020 to 2021, and on the National Executive Committee of IAIA-SA from 2018 to 2022.

Moodley has been serving as the Secretary on the National Executive Committee of IAIA-SA and remains a member.