Key to Library Sections:
Avoid. In this section, you will find information on approaches which identify risks early on in the development process and aim to avoid them entirely through strategic project placement or design. These approaches require early consideration but are also the most effective at managing project impacts. Documents in this section include guidelines and case studies for Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), Cumulative Impact Assessments (CIAs), and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs); as well as system-scale planning approaches which can be applied early on in the project design process.
Mitigate. If impacts from a project cannot be avoided, project planners can explore options to minimize or reduce the impacts of the project. This can be done through the adoption of different technologies or operational methods or change in project scale, often identified through technical review processes for individual projects. In this section, you will find case studies on environmental mitigation such as fish passages and biodiversity corridors; conservation zones; and resettlement programs.
Offset. If it is impossible to avoid or mitigate impacts, then project planners can manage impacts through the restoration of damaged environments or through supporting offsets which aim to balance the negative impacts of the project. This is often done through providing protection for similar ecosystems elsewhere, supporting local, national, or regional environmental efforts, or specific restoration efforts. However, restoration efforts and other offsets are often more expensive and require more intensive labor than avoiding or mitigating impacts in the first place. Documents in this section explore practices such as payment for ecosystem services; biodiversity offsets and restoration efforts; and case studies from large projects.