Environmental assessment and management in Dutch Master programmes A SWOT analysis dr. Hens Runhaar Environmental Studies and Policy Faculty of Geosciences / Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation Universiteit Utrecht

Outline Environmental Master programmes in the Netherlands After graduation Environmental assessment in Dutch Master programmes Master Sustainable Development at Utrecht University A SWOT analysis Conclusions

Environmental Master programmes in the Netherlands VU University Amsterdam – Environment and Resource Management (1 year; natural and social sciences) & Global Environmental Governance (1 year; social sciences) Groningen University – Energy and Environmental Sciences (2 years; natural sciences) Radboud University Nijmegen – European Spatial and Environmental Planning (1 year; social sciences) & Environmental Sciences (2 years; natural sciences) Open University – Environmental Sciences (in Dutch; 1 year; natural sciences) Wageningen University – Environmental Sciences (2 years; natural sciences) & Urban Environmental Management (2 years; natural and social sciences) Utrecht University – Sustainable Development (2 years)

After graduation UU-SD graduates: 91% has a regular job, of which 78% in the environmental domain Main employers: consultancy firms and universities; others include governments, NGOs, companies and educational institutes 43% has a function as an advisor, 25% as a researcher, 13% as a project leader or policy maker

After graduation Environmental labour market: 109,000 fte jobs, turnover 11.1 billion € 1.6% total employment, almost 2% GNP 25% growth between 1995-2007 (in particular recycling and consultancy) Data 2007; source: CBS

Figures 2007

Environmental assessment in Dutch Environmental Master programmes Nowhere specific modules on EA However, aspects of EA frequently taught Particularly in environmental sciences Masters In line with findings Gazzola (2008): “EA is rarely taught as a full postgraduate programme and seldom as a subject in its own right. Normally more than one discipline or specialisation is included in the EA-related degree title”

Environmental assessment in Dutch Environmental Master programmes VUA: module environmental and energy policy tools: Systems analysis and simulation: use of simulation software; Spatial analysis and spatial evaluation; use of Geographic Information Systems; Scenario Analysis; Multi criteria analysis; use of evaluation software; Life cycle analysis; Valuation and cost-benefit analysis; use of evaluation software

Environmental assessment in Dutch Environmental Master programmes WU: major in environmental systems analysis: Systems analysis and simulation: use of simulation software; (Participatory) integrated assessment; Pollution management; Environmental modelling; Integrated cost-benefit analysis of multifunctional land and water use; Decision support systems and ecological-economic modelling; Environmental function analysis and conflict analysis; The behaviour of large-scale models; Methods for uncertainty analysis

Environmental assessment in Dutch Environmental Master programmes RU: module Integrated environmental assessment of water systems: Working in multidisciplinaty teams Collect, interpret and integrate data on the structure and functioning of water systems in order to analyse environmental problems in water management Assess implications of policy documents and legal instruments (e.g. function assignment and environmental quality standards) for the design, use and management of water systems Apply a selected number of scientific methods and (predictive) models for effect assessment of alternatives or scenarios for management of water systems Formulate recommendations for sustainable design, use and management of water systems

Environmental assessment in other higher education programmes UU: bachelor environmental (social) sciences: Specific module on EIA Legal frameworks, analytical tools and assessment techniques, procedures, specific aspects Role of EIA in decision-making Review of EISs ‘EIA game’ Most SD Master students that previously completed our bachelor programme (20%) have taken this course

EA in a broader perspective: UU Master Sustainable Development Mission: “To educate academics who will be able to make a substantial contribution to the transition to a sustainable society through their scientific research and their skills in the area of societal intervention” Four ‘tracks’: Energy and Resources Land Use, Environment and Biodiversity Environmental Policy and Management International Development Also as joint degree program with Graz, Venice, Leipzig, Basel and Hiroshima (aim: Erasmus Mundus)

Master SD: general programme Period Course 1 Sustainability Science Track Module 2 The Sustainability Challenge A Optional Module 3 4

Master SD: general programme Period Course 1 The Sustainability Integration Optional Module 2 Master Thesis Choice: 30 or 45 ECTS 30 ECTS: - extra options - thesis  scientific article 3 4

Master SD track EPM Key challenge: Approach: social sciences The scientific analysis of the complex changes accompanying the pursuit of a sustainable society Approach: social sciences

Master SD track EPM Key concepts: Environmental policy Shifts in environmental governance Governance by non-governmental actors Evaluation research Conditions for effective governance

Master SD track EPM Year 1 Course Period 1 Sustainability Science: An Introduction Development Theories Period 2 Sustainability Challenge A Sustainability Challenge B Period 3 International Environmental Governance Policy Analysis Period 4 Research Methodology EPM Interactive Planning of Sustainability Year 2 The Sustainability Integration Elective Master's Thesis Extension Thesis   Publishing your research Extra optional courses SD joint course EPM track course

EA in SD track EPM Sustainability science: environmental modelling Policy analysis: Impact assessment EA (guest lecture Thomas Fischer) Role of policy analysis in decision-making Various modules: Environmental decision-making Role of stakeholders Role, authority and subjectiveness of knowledge

EA in SD track EPM Master thesis (four with an internship at NCEA): The contribution of SEA to the greening of public decision-making: the relevance of the decision-making context Capacity development for EIA in Yemen Environmental policy integration and spatial planning: an evaluation of the MILO and LOGO planning tools Assessing the impacts and success factors of integrated methods centred on urban environmental quality: Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands Guiding Georgia: lessons from 21 years of Dutch EIA experience in waste management Promoting environmentally sustainable transport through public participation and SEA. Lessons from Dutch transportation planning for Japan Appropriate assessment versus environmental assessment EA system development in developing countries

A SWOT analysis Review accreditation committee (2007): Programme meets the needs and demands of the domain of sustainable development Level is adequate, ambitious Programme is coherent Adequate didactical concept Well embedded in research (Copernicus) Contacts with labour market can be improved

A SWOT analysis A sample of UU-SD students: Did you come across EA during your bachelor or Master programme? Same after your graduation? Do you feel you are well-prepared to work with EA (and in the environmental domain in general)? What three aspects of your Master programme were most useful? What have you missed in your Master programme ?

1. EA during your studies During bachelors: EIA, environmental law During Masters: environmental modelling, GIS, environmental policy, thesis

2. EA in your current job 2 not (yet) 4 often (as EIA consultants conducting EAs or advising on EA systems in new EU Member States, or as consultants in spatial plans of which EA is an element)

3. Master prepared you sufficiently for working with EA Yes: Specific EIA courses Policy analysis methods (Role of knowledge and the environment in) decision-making Working in multidisciplinary teams/environments No: Technical aspects of EA Legal aspects of EA

4. Three key elements in Master SD Policy analytical methods and skills Environmental assessment techniques (International) governance of environmental issues Analytical skills, research skills Communicative skills Knowledge of environmental themes Working in multidisciplinary teams

5. What did you miss Management and commercial skills Political sciences Public administration (SD more general about ‘governance’) Dutch environmental law Environmental governance in non-Western countries

Conclusions Put EA in a wide perspective Decision-making and governance Multidisciplinarity Role of science in society Provide elements that are relevant but not unique to EA Environmental modelling Impact assessment methodology They will learn the specifics in practice!

Sources www.mastersportal.eu www.uu.nl/NL/Informatie/master/susdev Gazzola, P. (2008), Trends in education in environmental assessment: a comparative analysis of European EA-related Master programmes, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 26 (2): 148-158.