Resilience Assessment: International Best Practice Principles

PURPOSEThis document sets out international best-practice principles for resilience assessment being undertaken within an impact assessment (IA) of some project, plan, programme, or policy (in this context, its function may be different to that of a self-standing resilience assessment). Resilience assessment can contribute to impact assessment by defining specific disturbances that can lead to failure of natural, social, and engineered systems. The disturbance can be caused either by the proposed action, factors beyond the influence of proposed action, or combination of both. The impact assessment can consider all these factors within one coherent framework. It can identify synergies and knock-on effects that can cause potential system failures, and advise on interventions that avoid failures in the critical functions of the systemBACKGROUNDResilience assessment evaluates the structure and function of a system of focus (hereafter ‘focal system’) and, in the context of an impact assessment, focuses on the effects of the proposed action on the resilience of that focal system. The focal system can include: socio-ecological, biophysical, engineering,technological, or other components. Resilience assessment should ideally examine the consequences of the proposed action in combination with internal or external factors that may collectively influence the resilience of the focal system (e.g., biophysical system change caused by global warming on engineeredstructures).