ID: 2095
Presenting Author: Maya Brennan Jacot
Session: 532 - Simple, Evidence Based Communication Approaches for Successful Biodiversity Conservation and Management
Status: pending
Development of an ecologically sound and socially acceptable biodiversity compensation strategy for a powerline in Zambia
Since 2015, WSP has supported ZESCO in carrying out various environmental and social studies for the Zambia-Tanzania Interconnection Project (ZTIP), an over 600 km long high-voltage powerline. The ZTIP represents a landmark initiative in the integration of biodiversity conservation within the planning and implementation of large-scale energy infrastructure. In 2025, WSP completed a Detailed Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) to address biological impacts through the mitigation hierarchy, in accordance with ESS6 requirements. A central component to the BMP is the Compensation Plan for loss of natural habitats for which engagement with stakeholders was central.
A key strength of the ZTIP initiative is its cross-disciplinary collaboration. The project brings together engineers, geomatics experts, local stakeholders, and government agencies in a coordinated effort. Given the high valued biodiversity in the project area, the biodiversity components have been assessed from multiple surveys through years and incorporating multi-seasonal, taxon-specific biological surveys including birds, bats, herpetofauna, and endemic flora. The BMP development involved a thorough consultation process to present compensation principles, clarify legal and policy frameworks, identify local conservation efforts and partners, explore restoration opportunities and validate criteria for compensation site selection. This inclusive framework enabled the co-development of a compensation strategy for loss of natural habitat that is ecologically sound, socially acceptable, and technically feasible.
Biodiversity specialist working mainly in Africa, who ensures the consideration of biodiversity in ESIAs, including the development of specific mitigation strategies and BMPs.
Coauthor 1: Helene Chouinard