A day in the life of an Environmental Consultant

Fresh out of university, you have your whole life planned out in front of you. With a degree in Environmental Science, Social Science, Geographic Information Systems, or one in a similar trajectory. You expect that you will save the world one adventure-filled day at a time, imagining yourself akin to Indiana Jones or the two scientists jamming to “Play that Funky Music” as they did in the movie Evolution (I won’t lie, that is what I thought my life would look like as an Environmental scientist). The reality of it is a lot more sobering.

For the few souls lucky enough to land an internship right out of university or those who go into a steady job thereafter (Not impossible, I was one of the few lucky ones), the reality of the Environmental Consulting Career might be a far cry from the landscape they spent years building in their head.

Please note: My knowledge in the field is based on the lessons learned in South Africa, but from what I have encountered over the years (through job application processes and research), the principles can be carried through into other countries as well. Please consult with a consultant in your region for a better understanding of the environmental field in your Country.

Different Disciplines within Environmental Consulting

First and foremost, Environmental Consulting is a broad field, consisting of multiple streams and disciplines. It encapsulates various aspects that are either performed within a specific company/individuals or by a collective. A couple of examples of consultants include:

Environmental Specialist

This type of consulting relies on scientific and field-based observations to determine the sensitivity of any one particular area whilst determining the significance of any one development on the environment. Specialists are typically specialized in a specific branch of environmental knowledge (i.e. terrestrial biodiversity, plant and animal species, aquatic biodiversity, estuary specialist, bats, avifaunal, socio-economic – just to name a few). Very rarely do you find one specialist that is adequately specialized in more than one discipline. The most common cluster specialist would be your ecologists, who would generally be able to provide insights toward terrestrial biodiversity and plant species (and to a certain degree the animal species) in one assessment. I will elaborate on the various disciplines, the subtle differences (where applicable), and situations where each would be applicable, in a later post and link it here once written.

Environmental Monitoring

When I refer to this discipline, reference is specifically made toward individuals monitoring compliance in terms of environmental approvals prior to, during, and following construction. These are referred to as either Environmental Control Officers or Environmental Auditors, respectively. The latter is appointed to Audit the compliance of all parties (including the Environmental Control Officers) with the approvals and Management Programmes. The reporting done by auditors must comply with the relevant regulations. In South Africa, Auditors are governed by the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations of 2014, as amended.

Environmental Assessment Practitioners

These individuals are tasked with consolidating all of the findings of the various Environmental Specialists for any one particular project and determining the environmental feasibility of the project based on the cumulative impacts associated with the project’s overall sensitivity. This, together with practical knowledge of the construction and operational knowledge (obtained through Environmental Control Officer, and at times, auditing experience) allows the Environmental Assessment Practitioner to compile well-argued motivations toward whether a project should be granted or refused environmental authorization, and the compilation of the appropriate management programmes/plans to applied during the various phases of the project.

Generalist

This is not a recognized discipline in the field. However, based on experience, this is a concept that is more common than what is acknowledged. These are professionals that wear many hats (ie. ecological specialists, aquatic specialists, geographic information system consultants, and environmental assessment practitioners all in one). Having worked both as a Generalist and strictly as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner, I can confidently say I prefer the latter (even though your time in the office is greatly reduced by the first). I will weigh the pros and cons of each in a later post and link it here when the time comes.

What does the Environmental Assessment Practitioner profession expect of you?

So where do I lie in the grand scheme of things and from which perspective will I be giving you insight into the environmental consulting field? For this post, I will be wearing my Environmental Assessment Practitioner hat, which is the core discipline I am currently employed. Let us just start with what the Environmental Assessment Practitioner field looks like realistically from an ‘In the shoes’ perspective:

• It is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It will take years for you to get to a financial point in the industry where you feel self-sufficient. Especially in a single-income household. Unless you work in the mining industry (which is not necessarily where you would find environmental assessment practitioners – this is more the environmental officers and managers) or in a big corporation, your dream of driving a Jeep with the roof down may be a bit far out of reach. Especially in today’s economy.
• You need to like people. Not in the ‘Let’s get together every Friday’ sense. You have to be prepared to be in a near-constant conversation with members of the public (during public and stakeholder engagement), clients (developers, scheme coordinators, etc), internal management teams, and specialists.
• Environmental Assessment Practitioners require an all-around understanding and knowledge of the law. After ten years, I am still learning new facets thereof on a regular basis. South African Environmental Assessment Consulting is governed by the overarching National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998, as amended) along with its specific environmental management acts promulgated by various entities within the Governmental sphere. It is important to remember: ‘No one knows everything.’
• Problem-solving and Critical thinking are essential skills to learn.
• In essence, Environmental Assessment Practitioners are project managers. Managing people, resources (including time and money), and information at all times.

What is a typical work week in the life of an Environmental Assessment Practitioner?

This is where it gets very dull. An environmental assessment practitioner’s week is typically driven by project management tasks, with some field work (depending on if there is a need to do so), and report writing – a lot of report writing.

1. Depending on whether your projects require it, a Site Verification Site visit or two may be required.
2. At least three virtual project meetings (depending on the amount of projects managed, the nature of the projects, and the nature of the clients you work with).
3. If your job description includes it, a couple of site visits for Environmental Control Officer and Auditing duties.
4. Management of timeframe and general specialist management. Once again, this is dependent on the stage of the project that you are in and the amount of projects you are actively involved with. I will do a post on the phases of an environmental assessment application soon and insert a link here at that time.
5. Report writing, a lot of report writing, incorporating limited quantities of environmental mapping, reviewing, and editing. This is why proficiency with Microsoft Word and formatting is essential when entering into the field. I will do a post on formatting and editing skills that would be beneficial and insert a link here at that time.
6. If a project requires it, public participation needs to be tended to. This is either in the form of distributing fliers, putting up site notices, liaising with property owners and stakeholders, or emailing.
7. Your time in the office far outweighs your time in the field if you are working strictly as an environmental assessment practitioner. Your role is first and foremost of an administrative nature.

In summary, the Environmental Assessment Practitioner profession is a fulfilling career, creating a space for both introverted and extroverted individuals to thrive. It is not the most lucrative industry (in the private sector) to be a part of, but take it from me: There is no better feeling than seeing a project come to life before your eyes, knowing that you have done your part in helping a dream become a reality. Thereby creating an environmentally sound outcome the specialists, the client, the public (most of the time) and you as the assessor are at peace with.