Meet Dr. Andrew Harwood – Director of Science Practices and Ecofish partner, Andrew was recently designated a Provisionally Accredited Assessor for the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) by the International Hydropower Association (IHA). Congratulations Andrew! http://www.hydrosustainability.org/Protocol/Accredited-Assessors.aspx
What is the HSAP? Good question!
According to the IHA, “the HSAP is a tool that promotes and guides more sustainable hydropower projects. It provides a common language that allows governments, civil society, financial institutions and the hydropower sector to talk about and evaluate sustainability issues. “
During the assessment protocol, a hydropower project’s performance is assessed across more than 20 sustainability topics ranging from communications and consultation, Indigenous Peoples, and public health, to biodiversity and invasive species, erosion and sedimentation, waste, noise, and air quality and many more. From conception to completion the HSAP covers all stages of a hydropower project: the early stage, preparation, implementation, and operation. At each stage of the project, accredited assessors review the detailed list of sustainability topics to determine whether each criteria is met. The final score given to a project is an important indicator of how that project performs on a sustainability scale worldwide and provides measurable data for scientists to identify areas for improvement.