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TAESCO

TAESCO Transamerica Environmental Science Consultants Ltd.

 
Transamerica Environmental Science Consultants Ltd (TAESCO) was founded in 1980 by Dr. Goetz Schuerholz and registered under the BC Company Act as a Limited Company. TAESCO was created in order to provide environmental and resource management services to industry and Government around the world. With an historical foundation in the management of wild-lands and protected areas, the firm continues to concentrate on consultancy in the broad field of biodiversity conservation through sustainable land- and resource use management. Five main areas of expertise are offered:

 

  • Protected Areas and Support Zones: selection, assessment, planning, design, and management of all categories of protected areas and their support zones; this includes inventory and assessment of social, cultural, and economic aspects of land use as well as assessment of all aspects of institutional and legal framework conditions on national, regional and local levels; institutional strengthening/development, development and implementation of training modules for all level personnel; environmental education; tourism development; preparation of integrated management plans, and gap analysis.

 

  • Wildlife Management and Biodiversity Conservation: all aspects of wildlife management, including biodiversity assessment, ecosystem modeling, baseline research, and management plans; preparation of national and regional biodiversity conservation strategies.

 

  • Land Use Planning: inventory and assessment of land and water resources, including forestry, wildlife, agriculture, mining, fishing, hunting and trapping for optimum land use planning and resource allocation.

 

  • Forestry: all aspects of forest management, including inventory and assessment of timber and non-timber forest products, remote sensing data processing and interpretation, agro-forestry and social/community development, institutional strengthening and training, strategic planning and preparation of forest management plans.

 

  • Environmental Planning and Management: environmental baseline surveys and assessment, including biophysical, demographic and socio-economic profiles, environmental impact assessments, design of environmental monitoring and evaluation systems, design of land reclamation and biodiversity rehabilitation models.

 

TAESCO’s senior professionals and key associates have successfully applied their skills and expertise to the sustainable establishment and management of more than 50 million has protected areas and support zones in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Furthermore, the firm has made major contributions to land and resource use conflict resolutions, produced country-specific environmental profiles and assisted in the development of major environmental investment portfolios. TAESCO has pioneered computer models for wildlife and biodiversity management, environmental impact and/or risk assessment. This work has been done for bilateral aid agencies such as GTZ, KfW, CIDA and USAID, international aid agencies such as The World Bank, FAO, UNESCO, non-government organizations such as IUCN, WWF, Nature Conservancy, and private industry.

 

TAESCO’s work approach emphasizes public involvement through consultation with local governments and stakeholders, meetings, participatory workshops and questionnaires. SWOT analysis and strategic planning are the firm’s preferred tools in project design and implementation.

 

TAESCO’s senior personnel and key associates hold internationally recognized professional and academic qualifications with extensive work experience from around the world.

 

Transamerica Environmental Science Consultant (TAESCO) has been registered in 1980 as Limited Company in British Columbia, Canada, with headquarters in Duncan. In Europe the firm has been registered in 1997 under the name of ‘TAESCO Europe’ in Germany with an office in Goettingen.
 

TAESCO’s Mission Statement

To promote and contribute to globally sustainable biodiversity conservation

 
Current and Recent Experience of the Company

 

During the past 17 years, TAESCO has been responsible for the establishment and management of over 50 protected areas worldwide and resource inventories and analyses in over 100 assignments in 39 countries. Projects have ranged from long-term wildlife research and habitat monitoring on Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in Canada, to the design of a tourism development plan for Gonarhezu National Park in Zimbabwe.

 

Projects have included environmental and social impact assessments for mine- and linear development projects in North America, forest inventories in Canada and tropical Africa, training protected area planning teams in Eastern Europe and South America and developing investment plans for biodiversity conservation in Russia and Georgia. TAESCO’s clients range from federal and provincial government to large corporations, bilateral donors and international non-government organizations

 

The following projects have recently been completed or are currently being conducted by TAESCO:

 

  • Supervision mission for an eco-development project in India involving 7 protected areas, for The World Bank.

 

  • Training protected area planners for the management of BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve in Nicaragua, for GTZ.

 

  • Feasibility study for bilateral investment in seven protected areas in Peru, for KfW.

 

  • Long-term monitoring of the Ewin Ridge Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep population in the East Kootenays of B.C., for Minolta Resources Ltd.

 

  • Continuing environmental advisory services to Line Creek Resources Ltd., a multi-national coal-mining company.

 

  • Project assessment and capacity building for the management of five protected areas in Caprivi, Namibia, for KfW.

 

  • Development of a 5-year investment plan including 7 National Parks in Georgia, for

Worldwide Fund for Nature, Germany.

 

  • Environmental screening of Gassinski Model Forest in Siberia, for the Canadian Forest Service.

 

  • Development of an investment portfolio for nature protection in Russia, for World Wide Fund for Nature International.

 

Protected Areas and Support Zones

 

Over recent years TAESCO has responded to the rapidly growing requirements for the expansion and improved management of the global protected area network. The company has compiled comprehensive biophysical, socio-cultural and economic baseline data, establishmed environmental monitoring systems for protected areas and their support zones, implemented economic microplanning and land use planning for support zones, trained protected area personnel, assisted in institutional strengthening and capacity building on all government levels, elaborated integrated management plans for protected areas and their support zones, established long-and short-term operational plans, tourism development plans and designed environmental education strategies.

 

TAESCO traditionally emphasizes stakeholder and public involvement in planning and managing protected areas. Logframe analysis, brainstorming and SWOT analysis are commonly used tools in participatory workshops.

 

For the past 12 years TAESCO through its subsidiary company ‘Yohetta Wilderness Experience Ltd’ has been fully responsible for the establishment and management of a 1000 square km wilderness area in British Columbia. Responsibilities included the preparation of management and business plans, development of eco-tourism related infrastructure, marketing and implementing wilderness tourism, implementation of sustainable hunting/fishing, developing guidelines and economic microplans for land use compatible with wilderness conservation for a 200 000 ha’s support zone. The work involves co-management agreements with a neighboring native community and other stakeholders.

 

Some of the protected areas for which TAESCO has developed management plans and has trained technical and management personnel include:

 

  • The Lower Odra Peace Park, Poland and Germany
  • Sumava Biosphere Reserve, Tzchech Republic
  • BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve, Nicaragua
  • Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras
  • Okavango National Park, Namibia
  • Borjomi National Park, Georgia
  • Das Emas National Park, Brazil
  • Sangay National Park, Ecuador
  • Tsylos Provincial Park, Canada

 

Wildlife Management and Biodiversity Conservation

 

TAESCO continues to be involved in complex wildlife research and management projects with focus in Canada. Ecological and biological research traditionally concentrates on ungulates, birds and furbearers, increasingly more on biodiversity conservation in general. TAESCO has pioneered the application of ecological and biological analysis to wildlife capability assessments, GIS assisted wildlife habitat mapping, carrying capacity computer models and the establishment of ecological sensitivity maps. Extensive work has been carried out on endangered and threatened species. TAESCO has become known for its holistic approach to wildlife management. The firm has been instrumental in developing biodiversity indices for objective and qualitative wildlife habitat mapping.

 

Some of the major projects implemented by TAESCO included:

 

  • Five years biological/ecological research on Ewin Ridge Bighorn Sheep population, Canada, for Crows Nest Resources Ltd., Canada.
  • Four years biological/ ecological research on the Elk Valley mountain lion population, Canada, for Province of British Columbia, Canada.
  • Five years biological/ecological research on Rocky Mountain Elk, Canada, for Line Creek Resources Ltd., Canada.
  • Six years biophysical inventories and wildlife capability mapping in the Elk Valley, for Shell Resources Ltd.
  • Twelve years research and management of big game populations (Grizzly bear, black bear, cougar, bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goat and mule deer) in Tsylos Provincial Park, through Yohetta Wilderness Ltd.,Canada.
  • Fifteen years monitoring project of Ewin sheep population, for Line Creek Resources Ltd.,Canada.
  • Four years wildlife inventories in the Wildlife Reserve El Bagual, Argentina, for ALPRAMIS, Argentina.
  • Wildlife policy sector review as part of the forest sector review for Russia, for The World Bank.
  • Survey and assessment of marsh deer populations in the savannas of Bolivia, for World Wide Fund International and WWFUS.
  • Development of a biodiversity strategy for the Rio Putumayo Forestry project, Peru, for Organisation of American States.
  • Development of a Biodiversity Index for Rocky Mountain ecosystems, Canada.

 
Land Use Planning
 

TAESCO’s experience in land use planning is mostly related to support zones of protected areas. Work covers the compilation of physical, biological, cultural and socio-economic resource information as basis for land use planning compatible with the conservation objectives for protected areas; participatory micro-planning with key stakeholders and tribal/aboriginal communities from the conservation unit and support zones. The company’s characteristic approach implies the use of ecological baselines for the production of an ecological sensitivity map as cornerstone for optimum land use stratification and resource allocation.

 

Typical projects include support zone planning for:
 

  • Cross River National Park, Nigeria, for World Wide Fund UK.
  • Tsylos Provincial Park, Canada, for the Province of British Columbia, Canada.
  • Four National Parks in Georgia, for World Wide Fund for Nature International.
  • Sumava Biosphere Reserve, Tzchech Republic, for World Wide Fund International.
  • Lower Odra National Park, Poland/Germany, for Province of Brandenburg, Germany.
  • Land use surveys and development of planning strategies for the regional development plan for Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, for Organization of American States.

 

Forestry

 

In addition to all basic services TAESCO offers in the traditional area of forestry, its special interest is focused on social forestry, community forest development and management, non-timber forest products in tropical and temperate regions, forest ecology and protection forest. Characteristic forest projects TAESCO has been involved in include:
 

  • Design and establishment of the first community forest in Georgia, for World Wide Fund International.
  • Evaluation of an international forestry project in the Khagan Valley, Pakistan, for World Wide Fund International.
  • Inventory of 15 000 has forest land in the Canadian Rockies, Canada, for Crows nest resources Ltd, Canada.
  • Development of a simulation model for assessment of ‘energy forests’ based on problem analysis of forest and wildlife interaction in central and eastern B.C., Canada, for Canadian Forestry Service.
  • Design and implementation of a forest inventory program for Federal ‘Energy Forest’ program, Yukon, Canada, for NAWITKA resources Ltd. and Canadian Forest Service.
  • Assessment of wildlife damage to forest plantations on Vancouver Island, Canada, for Pacific Logging Ltd.
  • Feasibility study on proposed aerial spraying against spruce budworm in B.C., Canada, for B.C. Forest Service.

 

 

Environmental Planning and Management

 

Taesco has made major contributons to the application of ecosystem analysis to environmental impact assessments and ecological risk analysis. The company has developed a number of innovative technologies as part of its environmental consulting practise. This involves the design of ecological sensitivity maps, ecological gap analysis on the macrohabitat level, development of biodiversity and system component indices and the development of wildlife habitat capability models. This approach streamlines and facilitates environmental impact assessments, provides a sound basis for environmental risk analysis and provides guidelines for impact mitigation. The development of biodiversity indices in particular, permits a meaningful design and implementation of land reclamation plans. Projects to which this multifacet approach has been applied include:

 

  • Environmental impact assessment for Mt. Michael mine, Canada, for Crows nest resources Ltd.
  • Environmental impact assessment for Horseshoe Ridge Mine, Canada, Line Creek resources Ltd.
  • Environmental impact assessment for Telkwa coal mine, Canada, for Shell International Ltd.
  • Environmental impact assessment for Line Creek mine, Canada
  • Environmental impact assessment for Shaughnassy mine, Canada, for Fording Coal Ltd.
  • Environmental impact assessment for Iona silver mine, Canada, for Iona Silver Ltd.
  • Environmental impact assessment for Alcan pipeline, Canada, for Alcan Ltd.