Categories of Membership
EAPAN recognises the following categories of Environmental Professionals:
Membership | Category | Description | Minimum qualifications[1] and experience1 | Competencies and/or attributes |
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Ordinary Member | Reviewer | Undertakes independent reviews of completed Scoping, EA and/or EMP reports. | Qualification: Masters degree in Environmental Practice, and
Experience: Evidence of successfully leading at least 5 major EAs for the past 10 years, and
Demonstrated ability of being able to act independently and objectively in the reviewing of major EAs. |
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Lead Practitioner | Co-ordinates, leads, manages and integrates components of the EA[2] throughout the process. | Qualification: Honours degree in Environmental Practice[3], and
Experience: Evidence of successfully leading or playing a prominent role in > 3 major[4] EAs or broad environmental management projects in the past 5 years, and
Evidence of having attended > 3 relevant short courses and/or conferences over the past 5 years. |
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Practitioner | Sector specialist or general EA consultant. Gives input to particular stages of an EA according to his/her expertise. | Qualification: Degree and/or diploma in any discipline commonly required in an EA, and/or
Professional registration with a recognized body[5] that governs his/her sector, and
Experience: Evidence of successfully participating (substantially) in >3 major EAs in past 5 years. |
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Environ- mental Manager | Works as the “Environmental Officer” or equivalent in a corporate, parastatal or GRN agency – not doing EIAs, but involved in commissioning and/or managing them, implementing and updating EMPs and running EMSs. | Qualification: Degree and/or diploma in any discipline commonly required in an EA, and
Experience: Evidence of prominent[7] involvement in >3 major EAs /EMPs/EMSs in past 5 years. |
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Apprentice Member | Emerging Practitioner | Emerging Specialists and/or Practitioner. Provides technical assistance in EAs. | Qualification: Degree and/or diploma in any discipline commonly required in an EA.
Experience: None yet – this person would have recently qualified but not yet had the opportunity to gain experience. |
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Emerging Environmental Manager | Working with an established Environmental Manager. Provides technical support on inspections, monitoring, implementing EMPs and EMSs, training, etc. | Qualification: Degree and/or diploma in any discipline commonly required for Environmental Managers.
Experience: None yet – this person would have recently qualified but not yet had the opportunity to gain experience. |
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Student Member | Learner Practitioner | A student studying for a degree/ diploma in a field commonly part of EAs | Qualification: Successfully completed at least 2 years in a recognized tertiary learning institution and currently registered as a full or part time student for year 3 or more
Experience: None |
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Special Cases
In “special cases” the Executive Committee may request additional material/information deemed necessary to consider applications, or ask for an interview with the applicant. Practitioners who do not meet the certification criteria in terms of academic qualifications, but who have been successfully undertaking EAs in Namibia, may be certified if their work is judged to be of sufficient standard and they have demonstrated high ethics/competencies.
[1] The qualification must be recognised by the Namibian Qualifications Authority
[2] EA includes Environmental Assessment at either Strategic or Project levels
[3] 'Environmental Practice' is defined as interdisciplinary study (and/or demonstrated practical track record) covering the fields of both the biophysical and socio-economic environment, including an environmental assessment component.
[4] Major means an EA that includes a full Scoping Exercise, and EA itself and an EMP. Also, the EA must have passed scrutiny and been deemed “good” or better by the relevant authority.
[5] e.g. Southern African Institute of Ecologists and Environmental Scientists, Law Society, Medical Council, etc. – the organisation may be Namibian, regional or global, voluntarily established or statutory. Not applicable if there is no relevant institution.
[6] Also commonly referred to as ‘Specialist Reports” – e.g. biodiversity, archaeology, health, groundwater – etc.
[7] “Prominent” means the person leads or takes a senior role in compiling the ToRs for the EIA/EMP, participating in a technical and/or management role during the EIA/EMP process – usually interfacing with the independent EIA consultants – provides input in the internal review of the EIA/EMP, and has a lead or senior role in implementing the outcome of the EIA (i.e. the EMP and/or EMS).