Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand

If you are involved in any aspect of natural resources management in South East Queensland, then how are you contributing to achieving the targets of the South East Queensland Natural Resource Management Plan 2009-2031 (SEQ NRM Plan)?

Breakfast forum on Bioconditioning looked at: the primary aims of BioCondition; outcomes of the work conducted that lead to the amended version of BioCondition and why there is a need for a cost-effective metric of ecological condition which is highly valued by natural resource managers and policy makers in Queensland

While human activity has always impacted upon the environment it is only in relatively recent times that there have been national and international approaches to manage these impacts.  While these impacts had been recognised by most nations, the dust storms in the United States in the early 1930s led to the modern organisations, together with the legislation to act. This included the compilation of environmental impact assessments. Similar activity to that in the US followed in Australia.

The Queensland Government’s Waste Strategy, and the Waste Reduction and Recycling Bill 2011, will have a significant impact on resource use efficiency and the waste and recycling industry, Local Government and business generally in Queensland. Queensland has been the only State to not have a price signal on waste disposal nor to have any serious incentives for waste avoidance and resource recovery; but that is all about to change.

Environmental practice is fraught with ethical dilemmas in balancing the need to present facts objectively with the demands of clients, the expectations of agencies and the community, and responsibilities and personal attitudes towards the environment. Situations arise where individuals face ethical conflicts in making appropriate decisions. 

Recent floods across 75% of Queensland have been described as the worst natural disaster Australia has seen. Queenslanders did themselves proud with the community spirit and resilience shown in the wake of this devastation and substantial progress has been made in restoring homes and infrastructure. Now is the time to start to gain an appreciation of the impacts on the natural environment, plan to rehabilitate/restore and look for lessons that can be learnt from the floods.

On 18 October 2010, environmental professionals were asked to be part of a conversation with leading economists, industry leaders and international experts on the risks and rewards for Queensland’s economy from climate change and climate policy.

This important forum focused on current issues and future policy and regulatory directions in environmental and natural resource management in Queensland. It was a unique opportunity for Environmental Professionals to examine and  contrast the perspectives and visions of the Directors-General of government agencies with responsibilities in the environmental and natural resource sectors.

The destruction of natural landscapes for such things as urban housing and mining projects provide environmental managers with seemingly insurmountable challenges when it comes to biodiversity conservation. The environmental impact statement (EIS), through the inclusion of such management strategies as rehabilitation and offsets, should provide a roadmap for achieving the best possible outcomes for both the proponent and the protection of Australia’s biodiversity. But is this currently the case?

Another sell out EIANZ-SEQ event! Climate change, water shortages, rising crude oil prices and an expanding population are causing the community to question the resilience of our current farming and food supply systems. In the near future localised food production – integrated into the city’s infrastructures – might well be a key factor in securing access to affordable and healthy food for new and existing communities. This forum makes a strong case for localised integrated food production in a Slim City – the resource and carbon efficient city of the future.

The EIANZ SEQ was proud to present the Green Tie Ball to celebrate the achievements of the environmental profession and Earth Hour. Organisations were encouraged to bring clients and staff to share our joint commitment in making a difference.

This important Symposium was borne from a growing realisation that while addressing the obvious ecological impact of transport infrastructure was clearly ‘on the agenda’, just how this was to be done was far from clear. The prominence of issues such as road-kill and habitat fragmentation within community and political environments confronted the reality that very little was known with certainty. Road authorities, state and local governments, as well as engineers and consultants, are increasingly being faced with the challenge of attempting to meet heightened environmental standards but without access to proven methods or approaches.

This forum explored the underlying principles of offsets as well as the "nuts and bolts" of the policies as they apply to projects undergoing Development Approval. 

This important workshop provided a technical overview of auditing skills relating to the identification of resource efficiency opportunities. 

This important forum focused on current issues and future policy and regulatory directions in environmental and natural resource management in Queensland.  It was a unique opportunity for Environmental Professionals to examine and contrast the perspectives and visions of the Directors-General of government agencies with responsibilities in the environmental and natural resource sectors.  

EIANZ brought together leading Queensland research facilities, government agencies and service providers to guide the professional development of practitioners.  Griffith University’s Climate Change Adaptation program, the EPA’s Office of Climate Change and leaders in the field of carbon mitigation and climate change joined forces with EIANZ to bring you the Climate Change Boot Camp. 

The Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) was formed in July 2007 by a collection of like-minded environmental professionals from industry, government & consultants involved in the infrastructure sector. 

To celebrate our 20th Anniversary, the Institute proudly presented EP3 – The Third Wave in Environmental Practice. This comprised of eleven one day forums across Australia and New Zealand. 

Corporate sustainability encompasses strategies and practices that aim to meet the needs of stakeholders today while seeking to protect, support and enhance the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future. 

The EIANZ–SEQ conducted a 1 day forum exploring the practical side of Impact Assessment.  Too often Impact Assessment is seen as the production of a document that is driven by the need to have a tick in the relevant authority’s box.  Once the tick is achieved, the document may never be referred to again.  

As part of the environmental approval process for a new development project an environmental assessment and accompanying EMP is usually developed. The EMP at this stage of the process is developed to the planning level, which is typically a high level document that indicates policy requirements, implementation strategy, monitoring and auditing and reporting requirements. 

EIANZ-SEQ held a half day forum to explore the realistic options of Australia’s future energy supply.  Speakers came from diverse backgrounds and covered some of the key issues relating to our future energy supply.

Every day, individuals and organisations at various levels find themselves in situations that may conflict with what is considered to be ethically and morally correct, placing them (and possibly others) in a decision-making position that may potentially jeopardize their career/credibility, either in the near future, or years later.

The EIANZ and IAP2 held a 1 day conference exploring the practices of impact assessment and community consultation.  This conference was the first of its kind and provided practitioners from both fields the opportunity to hear industry experts through keynote presentations, case studies and workshops.