Every infrastructure, energy, or industrial project now carries an environmental question that cannot be an afterthought: what will this actually do to the air, water, soil, and communities around it? Getting that answer wrong costs money, delays approvals, and damages reputations — getting it right requires real technical and legal know-how, not guesswork. This training course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy is built to give participants that know-how.

The course combines environmental planning theory with the hands-on practice of conducting an environmental impact assessment, then extends into the legal, regulatory, and management systems that keep projects compliant. Participants leave able to plan, assess, and manage environmental risk across the full lifecycle of a project, at both the local and international level.

• Grasp the principles of environmental planning and its role in managing development.
• Apply modern analytical tools, including GIS, to conduct environmental impact assessments.
• Navigate the legal and regulatory framework governing environmental protection.
• Analyze environmental impacts on air, water, soil, and biodiversity, and design mitigation plans.
• Understand integrated environmental management systems, including ISO 14001 requirements.

Target Audience

• Employees of environment and sustainable development ministries and authorities.
• Environmental planning and supervision officers in public and private institutions.
• Consultants and specialists in environmental, energy, and industrial sectors.
• Engineers and technicians working on infrastructure, oil, and gas projects.
• Engineering and environmental science graduates seeking specialization.

Module 1: Environmental Planning — Principles and Practice

• Definition, characteristics, and types of environmental planning (regional vs. local, short vs. long-term).
• Environmental planning in urban and rural contexts.
• Its relationship to sustainable development.

Module 2: Reading the Ecosystem

• Natural and artificial ecosystems and their biotic and abiotic elements.
• Dynamics of ecological balance.
• Spatial environmental analysis using GIS and land-use data.

Module 3: Environmental Indicators and Assessment Tools

• Air, water, and biodiversity quality indicators.
• Using indicators for ongoing monitoring and assessment.
• Identifying environmentally sensitive areas.

Module 4: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Practice

• Definition, objectives, and importance of EIA across the project lifecycle.
• The difference between environmental assessment and environmental review.
• Potential impacts on air, water, soil, wildlife, and communities.

Module 5: Managing Environmental Impact

• Environmental mitigation measures and project alternatives.
• Site selection and environmental monitoring programs.
• Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and ISO 14001 requirements.

Module 6: Water, Soil, and Biodiversity Protection

• Water scarcity, conservation, and integrated water resource management.
• Soil degradation, desertification, and sustainable forest management.
• Biodiversity conservation and protected areas.

Module 7: Waste and Pollution Management

• Classifying solid, liquid, and hazardous waste at the source.
• Waste collection, treatment, recycling, and landfilling challenges.
• Controlling air emissions, wastewater, noise, and light pollution.