Capacity Building in Uzbekistan
Capacity Building in Uzbekistan was undertaken by SENES jointly with others from the United States and Uzbekistan.

The purpose of the project was to build the capacity of environmental institutions in Uzbekistan and thus ensure effective enforcement of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures on a national scale and compliance with the new regulatory framework that focuses on the priority areas of pollution reduction in the mining sector and industrial waste management.

The project provided experts to assist the environmental executing agency and associated environmental institutions in increasing their planning, management, analytical, and regulatory capabilities. This involved focused classroom and experimental training on methods for environmental assessment and management. Site-specific inspections were undertaken to assess treatment technologies and monitoring capabilities. Round table workshops were also held to solicit input from environmental institutions on the future direction of environmental policies and monitoring requirements.

B.C. Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy
SENES was part of a small team of advisors on the environment, the economy and society that advised the British Columbia (BC) government on the development of a "Strategy for Sustainability for British Columbia". The strategy included issues, visions, principles and an assessment of sustainability. SENES proposed a methodology for creating a sustainability index for use in BC.

Environmental Impact Assessment Information System, Mexico
SENES was part of a member of a consortium engaged by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada to develop an Environmental Impact Assessment Information System for the Instituto Nacional de Ecologia (INE) of the Government of Mexico. The project involved: an evaluation of the environmental assessment (EA) process in Mexico; the provision of recommendations to the Mexican government for improving its procedures for evaluating environmental impact assessments; and the design and implementation of an Environmental Impact Assessment Registry and Tracking Information System (ERTIS).

A second phase, funded by the World Bank, involved the development of a Decision Support System (DSS) for the practice of environmental impact assessment. SENES prepared a report outlining the methods currently used by INE to screen and evaluate EA submissions and made additional recommendations for streamlining the EA process. As a component of the DSS, SENES also provided checklists for screening the various types of EA projects.

Assistance to the German Environmental Ministry on Uranium Mine Decommissioning

SENES led a team of Canadian consultants retained to advise the German Environment Ministry (BMU) on the decommissioning of Wismut's uranium mining and related facilities and infrastructure in Saxony and Thüringea. The Wismut sites represent one of the largest mining decommissioning efforts in the world. The sites are part of a larger problem that includes 2,000 nearby historical and abandoned waste sites. In addition to the complex environmental issues associated with long-term physical, chemical and radiological effects, this project presented a unique challenge due to the immediate proximity of the sites to large human populations. As well as co-ordinating project activities, SENES had direct responsibility for environmental issues including, but not limited to, evaluation of decommissioning criteria and the assessment of decommissioning plans proposed by Wismut. Acid mine drainage, the release of toxic metals and radionuclides to the environment, ecological and human health risks were among the areas of concern.