Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection

Events

Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection

25 April 2022 to 27 April 2022

 

In a world that is evolving and communities that are growing, transportation infrastructure needs to be built based on principles such as inclusion, affordability,  equitable access and environment sustainability. Founded on such principles, transportation systems facilitate the mobility of people, goods, and materials, helping ensure the attainment of sustainable social and economic development while still protecting nature and biodiversity.

 

While nations pursue this vision, they also face challenges in terms of managing and mitigating negative impacts of infrastructure projects. This training provides an overview of the ecological effects of linear transportation infrastructure  and evidence-based measures to avoid, mitigate and minimize impacts. The course aims to train practitioners on integrating knowledge and practice between engineering and ecological sciences to improve understanding of interactions between transportation systems and natural systems. The course promotes green engineering measures that address negative impacts of transportation systems on the environment and stimulate innovative means of ecologically sustainable transportation infrastructure in Nepal and neighbouring countries.   

 

The program of the 3-day training course (a hybrid event with in-person and virtual participants) is shared below.

 

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Current practitioners working in transport infrastructure development, project planning and management, biodiversity assessment, environment safeguards, GIS and information technology. Practitioners may include government officials responsible for planning, design, construction and maintenance of linear transport infrastructure, consultants (engineering and environmental), academicians, NGOs, financial lending institutions and individual experts (engineers, wildlife ecologists).

In-person participants are officials from key departments under the Government of Nepal such as the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MOPIT), Department of Roads (DOR), Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) and Ministry of Finance. Virtual participants are practitioners from other ADB Developing Member Countries (DMC). 

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES and KEY TAKE-AWAYS

DAY 1

Day 1 will provide an overview and context of roads and biodiversity conservation in Asia and specifically Nepal. While roads play a critical role in pursuing sustained growth, they also cause a myriad of impacts on the ecological and physical environment. During the last two decades science-based solutions have been developed to reduce these impacts. International and national legislation and agreements on nature conservation and transportation infrastructure impacts and Nepal’s plans for transport infrastructure will be discussed to provide a solid foundation for the learning process and practice.

TAKE-AWAYS

  • Roads are critical to sustainable development, however, they oftentimes cause many ecological effects that influence the natural and physical environment.
  • Conservation of biodiversity and ecological corridors are critical for long-term survival of wildlife populations.
  • Linear infrastructure safeguards in Asia: How well are we doing?

DAY 2

Biodiversity baseline assessments a critical part of mitigation planning of transportation infrastructure projects. Day 2 will cover data collection needs and web-based data collection tools for data-sharing and analysis to support long-term environmental management, strengthen governance and institutional capacity. Addressing climate change impacts through nature-based solutions and managing cumulative impacts will also be covered.

TAKE-AWAYS

  • Many online data resources and tools are available for assessing the impacts of linear infrastructure on wildlife and environment. 
  • How to plan and design road mitigation at different landscape scales 
  • Applying nature-based solutions enhance climate resilience of the transport infrastructure 

DAY 3

Lessons learned from relevant projects can expand adoption of proven measures to mitigate road impacts on biodiversity. Day 3 will draw heavily on case studies in road infrastructure vis-a-vis mitigation in Asia. It will also take a closer look on the economic and financial benefits of ecologically friendly features and need to for analyzing cumulative impacts of multiple infrastructure projects located nearby. Infrastructure projects are on the rise and regional conservation will require a coordinated strategy.

In the final session (afternoon), a group exercise will allow participants to identify the main challenges and needs for greening Nepal’s transport infrastructure and develop an action plan to promote ecologically sustainable transport infrastructure.

TAKE-AWAYS

  • Lessons from relevant projects can help inform current and planned interventions with similar conservation challenges 
  • Adoption of ecologically friendly features also bring financial and economic benefits 
  • Transportation infrastructure projects do not occur in isolation and must therefore consider cumulative impacts of other infrastructure nearby that are already existing and planned for future construction. 
 
Program and Learning Materials: 
Date Session / Activity Presentation Material Speaker(s)
25 Apr 2022 Video [VIDEO] Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection Day 1
Day 1 webinar recording
25 Apr 2022 Introductory Session Transportation and Roads: Overview and Context (Moderators) Shushil Babu Dhakal, Department of Roads, Nepal | Bhupendra Bhatt, Senior Project Officer, ADB Nepal
25 Apr 2022 Introduction & Welcome Welcome Remarks Rabindra N. Shrestha, Secretary, Min. of Physical Infra. & Transport | Er. Shiva H. Sapkota, Dir. General, Dept. of Roads | Bruce Dunn, Director, Safeguards Division, SDCC, ADB
25 Apr 2022 Session 1 Biodiversity Conservation, Ecological Corridors and Transportation Infrastructure in Nepal
Nepal is host to a rich biodiversity, with about 212 species of mammals, 887 species of birds, 177 species of herpeto-fauna, and 220 species of birds. ...
Baburam Lamichhane
25 Apr 2022 Session 2 Ecological Effect of Roads: Science and Practice
As population and economies grow, the world is experiencing unprecedented growth in the construction of linear infrastructure including roads. Twenty ...
Rodney van der Ree
25 Apr 2022 Q&A Open Forum 1 Moderators
25 Apr 2022 ***TEA BREAK***
25 Apr 2022 Session 3 Transportation Infrastructure in Nepal: Current and Future Planning
Nepal is experiencing growth and along with this is the increasing pressure to build more linear infrastructure. Ninety percent of goods and passengers...
Sushil Babu Dhakal
25 Apr 2022 Session 4 National and International Legislation & Agreements on Nature Conservation with Implications for Linear Infrastructure Projects
Committed to sustainable development and the protection of the environment and biodiversity, Nepal is a party to more than 165 international agreements...
Bishwa Nath Oli
25 Apr 2022 Session 5 Bioengineering: Soils, Slope Stabilization and Hydrology in Linear Infrastructure
The design and planning for linear infrastructure should consider the unique characteristics of each location /landscape. For example,specific bioengineering...
Gordon Keller
25 Apr 2022 Q&A Open Forum 2 Moderators
25 Apr 2022 Site Visit 1 Site Visit: Narayanghat-Butwal (NB) Road
Date Session / Activity Presentation Material Speaker(s)
26 Apr 2022 Video [VIDEO] Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection Day 2
Day 2webinar recording
26 Apr 2022 Day 2: Introductory Session Practices and Science Based Solutions - An Introduction (Moderators) Rakesh Maharjan, ADB Nepal Resident Mission | Yubraj Dhakal, Department of Roads, Nepal
26 Apr 2022 Session 6 Practices of EIA in Nepal
As a developing country, Nepal has been taking great measures in environmental protection and management including the requirements for EIA, which was...
Prakash Gaudel
26 Apr 2022 Session 7 Impacts of Transportation Infrastructure on Biodiversity in Asia
The world is a highly paved planet. By 2050, there will be about 5 million kilometers of new road lanes and 300,000 kilometers of new railway tracks. ...
Rob Ament
26 Apr 2022 Session 8 Current Practices and Design for Mitigating Road Impacts on Wildlife Populations
Mitigating road impacts on wildlife populations require innovative design and practices. Crossing structures have been observed to be more effective than...
Anthony Clevenger
26 Apr 2022 Session 9 Baseline Biodiversity Assessment and Safeguard Planning: Data Needs, Analyses and Outputs (The Narayanghat-Hetauda-Patlaiya Experience)
Planning for and maintenance of linear infrastructure requires gathering of baseline data and continuous monitoring. The Baseline Biodiversity Assessment...
Clara Grilo
26 Apr 2022 Session 10 Web-based Tools for Baseline Biodiversity Assessment and Stakeholder Engagement: The Narayanghat-Hetauda-Patlaiya & Narayanghat-Butwal Road Experiences
Following an overview onBaseline Biodiversity Assessment (BBA), this session deepens the appreciation of the use ofweb-based tools for BBA and stakeholder...
Benjamin Dorsey
26 Apr 2022 Q&A Open Forum 3 Moderators
26 Apr 2022 ***TEA BREAK***
26 Apr 2022 Session 11 Applying Nature-based Solutions to Conserve Natural Capital and Achieve Climate Resilience
Linear infrastructureprojects need to support andtake advantage of natural capital, as well as help build resilience against climate change.Clearly, each...
Gordon Keller
26 Apr 2022 Session 12 Managing Multiple Linear Infrastructure Impacts
As Asia experiences unprecedented economic growth, much of the region’s natural landscapes are threatened by the rapid expansion of linear infrastructure...
Asha Rajvanshi
26 Apr 2022 Q&A Open Forum 4 Moderators
26 Apr 2022 ***LUNCH BREAK***
26 Apr 2022 Site Visit 2 Site Visit: Narayanghat – Mugling Road Project and Narayanghat-Hetauda-Patlaiya Road
Date Session / Activity Presentation Material Speaker(s)
27 Apr 2022 Video [VIDEO] Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection Day 3
Day 3 webinar recording
27 Apr 2022 Day 3: Introductory Session Exemplary Initiatives and Performance Evaluation (Moderators) Deepak Bahadur Singh, ADB NRM Shova Bhandari, MOPIT
27 Apr 2022 Case Study 1 Design & Monitoring: Nagpur India, NH-7 (Tiger Crossing Structures) Bilal Habib, Conservation Biologist, Wildlife Institute of India
27 Apr 2022 Case Study 2 Design – India: NH-37 East West Highway, Kaziranga NP, Assam
India is host to a rich wildlife with an estimated 2,413 rhinoceros in Kaziranga alone. Faced with increasing loss of wildlife due to habitat loss and...
Shantanoo Bhattacharyya
27 Apr 2022 Case Study 3 Cumulative Impact Assessments and Case Studies
Infrastructure development including upgraded highway systems act as trigger for induced development and land use change.Impacts are not just immediate...
Patricia Cueva del Bueno
27 Apr 2022 Q&A Open Forum 5 Moderators
27 Apr 2022 ***TEA BREAK***
27 Apr 2022 Case Study 4 Monitoring and Performance Evaluation: Case Study on the Bhutan Road Network Project-II
Improvements and innovation in design of linear infrastructure such as roads and bridges are observed to be beneficial to wildlife crossings. This is ...
Karma Chogyel
27 Apr 2022 Session 13 Economics of Transportation Infrastructure: Balancing Needs of Biodiversity Conservation and Costs
Economic analysis tools are important instruments that support decision making for infrastructure development including rural roads. The use of these ...
Kim Bonine
27 Apr 2022 Q&A Open Forum 6 Moderators
27 Apr 2022 ***LUNCH BREAK***
27 Apr 2022 Dialogue Dialogue on Addressing Obstacles for Planning, Designing and Operating Smart Green Linear Infrastructure in Nepal Moderators
27 Apr 2022 Closing Session (for in-person participants) Closing Remarks Er. Shiva Hari Sapkota, Director General, Department of Roads, Nepal | Rudi Louis Hendrikus Van Dael, Head, Portfolio Management Unit, ADB Nepal Resident Mission

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