Geomorphology Specialist

• A degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. physical geography, environmental science, geology) and evidence thereof.
• Ten (10) years of full-time equivalent experience in environmental practice in the last seventeen (17) years, with a minimum of seven (7) recent years¹ in Geomorphology practice. You will be asked to provide the contact detail(s) of work verifier(s), such as supervisor(s), who can independently verify your 7 years of full-time experience. These may be the same people as the referees you nominate (see below).
• The name, and contact details of three referees at time of application. The CEnvP Applications Team will contact them for a separate confidential report regarding professional competency and ethical behaviour. All referees should be respected environmental professionals and have known the applicant in a professional capacity for at least 2 years.
  • At least one referee must be an experienced Geomorphology practitioner who is a CEnvP Geomorphology Specialist or would be eligible to apply for CEnvP Geomorphology Specialist Certification themselves.
  • At least one referee must be external to your current place of employment.
• To submit a detailed written statement outlining how your skills and experience meet each of the Key Proficiencies.
• A detailed curriculum vitae.
• A minimum of three pieces of work evidence that demonstrate the nature and scope of your professional experience (e.g. reports, publications, citations, conference/seminar presentations, and independent third-party reviews of work undertaken).
• Evidence of a commitment to professional development completed over the past 2 years. This can be in the form of a statement or ideally a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) log (template provided on website).
• Evidence of an ongoing commitment to CPD, in the form of a plan for the future to meet this requirement once certified.
• A signed and witnessed Statement of Claim Statutory Declaration covering qualifications, experience, ethics, commitment and the accuracy of the materials provided to the Certification Board. A template is available on the application form.

[1] With a relevant degree 7 years of experience is required. In lieu of a suitable tertiary qualification, an application may be considered where at least 10.5 years of full-time equivalence in the functional areas of geomorphology practice can be demonstrated.

If you are not already a certified CEnvP, you can apply for both CEnvP and Geomorphology Specialist certification at the same time. If you are not approved by the Certification Board for CEnvP (General) certification, you will not be eligible for Geomorphology Specialist certification.

Applications can be submitted online anytime during the year and are usually processed within 6 months. Please note, incomplete applications may delay the process for up to 12 months. For more information, please refer to the Application Process.

Please note:

• Once started, your online application for certification is active for 30 days.
• When clicking the ‘Save and Resume Later’ button you will receive a link to your application via email. If you do not enter your email address and send the link, you will have to start the application again. A new link valid for 30 days will be created each time you ‘Save and Resume’.
• If a link has expired, we will not be able to retrieve it, and you will have to start a new application form.
• Incomplete or flawed applications will be delayed until all missing documentation is received. This may delay your application process.

The lodged application form must be accompanied by a non- refundable Application Fee.

You will be sent a receipt for the application fee within 1-2 business days.

Provided the required supporting material has been submitted, the application is forwarded to the relevant Registrar for a preliminary check to ensure that the application is complete, meets the requirements, and is ready to be forwarded to an Assessment Panel.

Application fees are non-refundable unless it is obvious to the Registrar that you cannot meet the certain criteria. In this case the application will be returned to you together with a portion of the application fee.

Evidence of your qualifications is required in the form of certified copies (see suggested Authorised Signatories in Australia, and in New Zealand). These must be uploaded and submitted together with the online application. Alternatively, direct access via My eQuals is also accepted.

In exceptional circumstances, appropriate work experience may be submitted in lieu of a suitable tertiary qualification; eligibility of the use of this clause will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the CEnvP Board.

Current CEnvPs applying for Specialist Certification do not need to provide evidence of their educational qualifications.

Evidence of Name Change will be required if your current name differs from the name on the educational qualifications.

Full time work is defined as per the Australian Public Service Commission or the New Zealand State Services Commission as Full Time/1.0 (35 hrs/week), 4 days/0.8 (28 hrs/week), 3 days/0.6 (21 hrs/week), 2 days/0.4 (14 hrs/week), 1 day/0.2 (7 hrs/week). No more than 35hrs per week will be recognised (even if working for more than one employer at the time).

Volunteer work, research, policy, regulation, community development work, teaching and supervision may contribute to the 7 years ‘functional experience’, providing you can demonstrate how these have contributed to relevant competence.

Demonstration of work experience and professional proficiencies is shown by:

• work verification reports by a work verifier (e.g., current or former employer, senior colleague, referee who knew you at that time). The work verifiers will be requested to complete and sign an online report, sent to them once your application has been submitted.
• a current CV. Your CV must be detailed and fully describe experience, roles and responsibilities, skills, outcomes, achievements, citations, presentations etc. It must include your full work history and a substantial list of projects.

The applicant must nominate a maximum of three areas of Environmental Practice. The nominated areas will be discussed during your interview and once certified these nominated areas will be used in online profiles and directories.

NB: An area of environmental practice is a field you are currently or have been working in. It is not recognised as a CEnvP specialisation.

Three experienced environmental professionals are required to act as referees for your application in a professional capacity. Each must have known you in a professional capacity for at least two years in roles such as supervisor, educator, senior peer or client. The applicant should include information on referees’ qualification, employment and relationship to the applicant.

Only the name and contact details of your nominated referees are required for the application. When you have submitted your application, an official CEnvP Referee Report Form will be sent to your nominated referees’ email address by the CEnvP Applications Team. You must make sure the referees are notified beforehand.

A referee must:

• Be a respected environmental professional.
• Be familiar with the applicant’s skills and attributes as they relate to environmental practice, ethics and professional integrity. They will be required to cover these aspects in their referee report.
• At least 1 referee will be an experienced Geomorphology practitioner who is a CEnvP Geomorphology Specialist or would be eligible to apply for CEnvP Specialist themselves.
• At least 1 referee will be an environmental professional external to your current place of employment who is familiar with the applicants work on one or more of the two supporting documents supplied as part of the application.

The Referee Reports must provide sufficient information to demonstrate how the nominated referees meet the above requirements.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge and experience across SIX (6) areas of proficiency in both their written application and at interview to achieve Geomorphology Specialist certification. Applicants must demonstrate their competency by outlining their experience in the six competency areas with a written statement (1000-1500 words in total). Competencies 1-4 require proficient understanding; and competencies 5-6 require functional understanding. The standards for proficient understanding and functional understanding are defined below. It is recommended that you use your work evidence documents to support you statement and try to avoid repetition.

For the following FOUR (4) proficiency areas, the applicant must demonstrate that they have a PROFICIENT level of expertise, i.e.

• Skilled knowledge or demonstration of the proficiency area. This can be done by referring to your work evidence documents as evidence.
• Broad experience involving a range of geomorphological problems.
• Proven ability to apply knowledge and experience to achieve objectives for a range of common geomorphological problems.
• Awareness of limitations of skills and the ability to identify where and how to obtain expert advice for complex geomorphological problems.
• Ability to communicate effectively and at a proficient level about typical geomorphological problems.

1. Understands geomorphological concepts and their complexity

• Takes a holistic view of landscape forms and processes in both space and time.
• Explains geomorphological concepts and principles such as complex response, thresholds, lag times, morphodynamics (form-process), uncertainty, evolutionary trajectory, spatial and temporal scale, geological, climate and anthropogenic drivers and controls on landforms, landscape evolution and response.
• Appraises both the site-specific conditions, and larger-scale controls that can cause landscapes to behave differently than suggested by general guidelines, literature on landscape behaviour or findings from elsewhere.
• Explains the cultural context of geomorphology i.e. why issues of landscape degradation, conservation, rehabilitation, mitigation and adaptation are particularly important.

2. Selects and uses appropriate tools, techniques, data and methods to analyse, assess and interpret a landscape or solve a geomorphological problem

• Critiques tools, techniques, data and methods, and selects those that are appropriate for use.
• Can provide a geomorphologically sound course of action and recommendations to solve a geomorphological problem.
• Selects techniques for on-ground conservation or rehabilitation actions that are geomorphologically sound.
• Employs appropriate technical skills to use the selected technique, data or method in practice.
• Designs geomorphological projects including field-based projects and/or lab-based projects and/or modelling projects.
• Develops and uses defensible experiments and/or monitoring programs
• Demonstrates capability in determining the reliability and accuracy of data.
• Explains methodological bias and limitations.
• Presents findings and data in a proficient graphical, oral, verbal, written and visual way.
• Demonstrates a technical ability to manage data using appropriate methods.

3. Skilled in the interpretation of landscapes or solving geomorphological problems

• Practises objective, systematic analysis and interpretation of geomorphological systems.
• Identifies geomorphological problems and develops practical solutions to them.
• Demonstrates well-developed and proficient field-based observation, analysis, and interpretation skills.
• Interprets geomorphological data to reveal trends, and to establish positions and judgement about what this means.
• Distinguishes between reporting facts, describing trends and making a geomorphological interpretation.
• Draws defensible conclusions based on evidence.
• Recognises the limitations of uncertainty in geomorphology and understands how to treat this uncertainty.
• Demonstrates capability to critique and make sound decisions on the quality of existing and ongoing geomorphological work within their area of expertise or geographical area.
• Explains the various types of qualitative and quantitative ‘models’ that are used in making geomorphological predictions.

4. Skilled in the communication and advancement of geomorphology

• Advocates for geomorphology in a range of different settings and contexts.
• Identifies and uses effective and appropriate communication methods.
• Communicates well in a range of formats, speaks and orates well to a range of audiences.
• Identifies and engages with relevant stakeholders.
• Communicates complex geomorphological issues clearly and credibly with a range of audiences.
• Transforms technical information to engage and inform non-specialist audiences.

For the remaining TWO (2) proficiency areas, the applicant must demonstrate that they have, at least, a FUNCTIONAL level of expertise, i.e.

• Basic level of knowledge of competency element
• Limited relevant experience
• Ability to apply knowledge and experience to achieve objectives for simple issues
• Awareness of limitation of skills and the ability to identify where solutions might be sought to issues
• Ability to communicate effectively within the limits of knowledge

5. Demonstrates influence (e.g. on policy, planning, improved environmental condition etc.)

• Knows, or knows how to find out about, relevant laws, guidelines, conventions, institutional arrangements and policy in the jurisdiction they wish to practice.
• Demonstrates an understanding of geomorphological principles and problems in a way that will enable policy and procedure development.
• Demonstrates a broad understanding of the use of geomorphology in environmental planning and assessment.

6. Understands risk assessment

• Demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between geomorphology and environmental risk assessment.
• Demonstrates familiarity with environmental impact assessment principles and practice.
• Assesses and manages risks while taking a particular course of action.

Submit at least three documents to support your professional competencies essay.

The supporting documents can either be provided as a web-address or be uploaded directly into the application form. Any documents subject to confidentiality should be clearly noted.

If you have accrued CPD points in the last 2 years, you will need to submit evidence of this, either in the form of a statement or ideally a CPD log.

You must also provide a detailed statement about your plan on how you will accrue 100 CPD points biennially once certified. This should include the type of activities and the number of hours you are expecting to spend for each of them. Any specific example of upcoming activity, with the name of the organisation is encouraged.

CPD activities may include:

• formal courses at accredited education or training institutes, which may be directly face-to-face, by distance learning (correspondence), internet course, or a combination of these where there is a formal assessment at the completion;
• short courses for which there is no actual assessment, but which will result in a Certificate of Attendance (evidence of doing the course);
• participation at technical meetings, seminars and conferences relevant to the environment profession;
• dedicated volunteer assistance with the CEnvP Scheme in roles such as Registrar, Interview Panel Member, SEAC Member, or assisting a similar professional organisation with a strong environmental component in a similar capacity;
• presentations at conferences, seminars and technical meetings;
• publication of technical or research papers in journals;
• part-time or guest lectures in environmental studies at accredited education or training institutes or organisations;
• assistance to junior members of the profession through the mentoring program;
• private study of journals, magazines and reference texts;
• provision of pro bono advice and assistance to community groups, including expert witness duties and expert advice for the Environmental Defenders Office (promotion of the environment profession and principles); and
• industry/professional involvement for academia.

Previously accrued CPD, and CPD plan are assessed as part of the application process. Submitting a CPD log of the past 2 years of activities is strongly recommended to enable the Registrar, Assessment Panel and CEnvP Board to ascertain your understanding of the requirement post certification (there is no number of points requirement). The activity can be completed on the official CEnvP CPD Log, please see CPD guidelines for more information. If you did not accrue points in the past two years, or you are not able to provide a log, you should provide a statement instead, explaining your past activities.

You have the possibility to submit additional supporting documentation, it may include but not necessarily be limited to testamurs, academic records, publications, citations, reports, training records, written statements of service, or information supplied by a witness, associate, or referee.

You are required to sign a statutory declaration that the materials you have provided are accurate and complete in the presence of an appropriately authorised witness authority (e.g., Justice of the Peace or other relevant qualification in the jurisdiction). You must provide the details of the location where the declaration is being made.

The EIANZ Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is within the online application form. Please ensure you have read, understood, and ticked that you will abide by it before proceeding onto the next section of the form.

Certification Renewal Fees must be paid annually to maintain CEnvP status. These fees are charged in Australian or New Zealand Dollars depending on the practitioner’s place of residency.

The annual fee for the first financial year is calculated on a pro-rata basis from the month the practitioner was certified.

Re-certification is reviewed every two years. At this time, the practitioner will need to provide evidence of 100 CPD points and a statement verifying any changed circumstances including employment and ethical conduct.

Geomorphology Specialist CPD requirements must be fulfilled through Geomorphology specific activities, with at least 50% consisting of activities that directly contribute to: improving knowledge in the field, the field’s higher-level processes, and/or policy and strategy.

We recommend certified practitioners to keep their log from our CPD Guidelines updated regularly throughout the 2 year-period.

If you are granted certification and once the pro-rata annual fees are paid, you will receive a personalised seal, and a certificate for your CEnvP, and where applicable, Specialist certification. The seal and the certificate will include the period of certification and an individual certification number.

A new seal will be sent each financial year and a new certificate will be sent every two years, upon receipt of yearly renewal fees and a CPD log biennially.