Innovations in Social Impact Assessment and Monitoring for the Resources Sector

The Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) is presenting a workshop on “Innovations in Social Impact Assessment and Monitoring for the Resources Sector” on the 17-18 March in Perth. Although the workshop has a mineral resources focus, much of the content of the workshop will be of interest to water planners who are improving the way that social and economic assessments are conducted in the preparation of water sharing plans and management arrangements.

Workshop Overview

In an environment of rapidly changing operating conditions and community expectations, the effective ongoing assessment and monitoring of social and economic impacts is critical for understanding and managing key social risks and opportunities. Leading organisations are moving beyond compliance to utilise social assessment techniques across the life-cycle of projects. This workshop presents a unique opportunity for government, industry, professional consultants and, non-government practitioners to interact with an exceptional field of specialists. It provides an opportunity to traverse emerging issues in social impact assessment and monitoring relevant to the infrastructure, development, and natural resource management sectors. Presentations, aimed at a practitioner audience, will highlight innovations in policy and industry frameworks, theory and practice, and cover topics such as baseline assessments, indigenous engagement, cumulative impacts, economic impacts and benefits, community engagement, monitoring and indicators. Case studies will illustrate examples in a practical context. Workshop objectives relevant to water planning include opportunities:

• To highlight innovations and developments in SIA theory and practice for government, industry, professional consultants and non-government practitioners;
• To provide insights into how regulatory agencies and companies are incorporating SIA into their policies and management systems;
• To review developments in SIA methodology, engaging with indigenous groups, and monitoring frameworks

For further information, or to register for this workshop, click here.