Environmental Consultants and Scientists
Analyse and advise on policies and practices guiding the design, implementation and modification of environmental operations and programs, and study and develop policies and plans for controlling adverse environmental factors and the protection, effective management, restoration and recovery of the environment.
A report the client does not want to read
You are an environmental consultant finishing an assessment for a developer who plans to build houses beside a patch of bushland. It is Thursday. The developer's meeting with the council is on Monday. Your fieldwork has found something that could change the project, and the report is due tomorrow.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
On the last survey I found a hollow in an old tree with what looks like nesting birds, a species the guide says is protected. I took photos. I am not sure the client will want to hear this. What do you want me to do with them?
Ask Nick to send you the photos and location straight away, then confirm the species with a specialist before the report goes in
The specialist confirms the species. You have clear evidence to include and can describe what it means for the project. Early confirmation protects the finding and the people who made it.
Tell Nick to keep the photos to himself, since the report is almost finished
The report goes out without the nesting hollow. Weeks later, the birds are seen by a local birdwatcher, who reports it. The report is questioned and so is your honesty.
Ask Nick to include the photos in an appendix, with no comment on what they mean
The evidence is in the report, but without any explanation, and the developer says it was never raised properly. Reporting a finding means explaining what it implies.
I have a council meeting Monday and I need a clean report. We have spent a lot on this project. Is there some way to word it so the birds are not a big issue? You know what the council wants to see.
Soften the wording so the issue sounds minor, since that keeps the client happy and the project moving
The council sees through it, or an objector does. Your report is no longer trusted, and Hugo ends up with delays far longer than a straight report would have cost.
Tell Hugo the finding stays as it is, and show him layout options that would protect the tree
Hugo is annoyed, then curious. A small redesign keeps the tree and most of the lots. A report that includes solutions is more useful to a client than one that only points out problems.
Tell him you can't help and that he should find another consultant
You keep your honesty, but Hugo walks away without ever seeing a way forward. An honest report with options would have kept you both in the room.
I heard you are doing the survey for the developer. We care about that bush. I think consultants just write what they are paid to write. Why should I trust you?
Defend your reputation and tell her that you are a qualified professional who does not take sides
She is unmoved. Trust is not given because of a job title, and she wants something she can check.
Say you are paid by the developer, but the report is public and anyone can check the method
Ms Danso appreciates the honesty. She says she will read the report and send you questions. Being open about who pays you is the first step to being believed.
Avoid the subject and tell her you cannot discuss anything about the project with her
She takes your silence as proof that she was right to be suspicious. The story spreads through the community before the report is even filed.
How it went
The report goes in with the nesting hollow, the evidence and three options for the layout. Environmental consulting asks you to be truthful when it is inconvenient and to remain useful to the people who hire you. Could you hold that line when the pressure is on?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The river below the quarry
A fictional case set in an environmental consultancy writing assessments for building, mining and farming projects.
The situation
Tanya was an environmental scientist asked to test the water in Cooper's Creek, downstream of a quarry near the town of Ballandean. Local residents said the creek had gone cloudy and that fish were disappearing. The quarry owner said the creek had always been cloudy after rain. A public meeting was set for the following Thursday, and both sides wanted her to say they were right.
What they did
Tanya collected samples upstream and downstream, in dry weather and after rain, over several weeks. She found that after heavy rain the water downstream carried much more fine sediment than upstream, but not at other times. She also found that a settling pond at the quarry overflowed in heavy rain. At the meeting she showed the results plainly, including the parts that supported the quarry and the parts that did not, and she recommended a larger pond.
How it turned out
Nobody left the meeting entirely happy. The quarry agreed to enlarge the pond and the residents agreed to wait and watch. Tanya continued testing for a year, and the creek ran clearer after rain.
What would you do?
- How would you feel standing in front of a room where both sides expect you to take theirs?
- Why did Tanya test the water more than once and in different weather?
- What would make people trust a scientist who has been paid by one side?