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The standard mitigation hierarchy is to avoid impacts on the environment, reduce impacts that could not be avoided and only offset residual impacts.
Applying this mitigation hierarchy requires precise knowledge on the environment that might be impacted, in order to design appropriate measures to avoid and reduce impacts as well as design and size offsets. To underline the importance of this knowledge, why not add “study” to this hierarchy?
Tags: biodiversity offsets, mitigation hierarchy, scientific basis for environmental assessments
I guess you forgot one more step- remedy!
Anyways, considering the experience that i’ve had with offsets – it itself is a complex step requiring much thinking in terms of policy, regulation, guidelines, technical knowhow, biodievrsity assessment / guidebook, action plans, targets, cooperation among various stakeholders, design, corporate responsibility …………………. The list is unending. So the point is where would you like to take this discussion.
Good point! I would start by adding “monitor impacts and offsets”… or even “monitor impacts and implement adaptive management of offsets”.