Environmental Impact Assessment for the marine environment
1. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Procedure:Procedure:
Marine Environment Case StudyMarine Environment Case Study
Presented ByPresented By
Dr.(Mrs.) Felicia Chinwe Mogo
Contact me: felichimogo@yahoo.com
LinkedIn: Felicia Chinwe Mogo
Ph.D. Ecology/Ecotoxicology;
MSc. Environmental Science and Technology (Ecotoxicology )
PGD. Environmental Science and Technology;
BSc. Biological Science (Biosystematics/Botany);
2. A marine environment consists of an area with water bodies
such as seas, oceans, bays and rivers. Marine waters may be
fresh or salty. Different organisms inhabit the marine
according to their adaptations; for example, most sea-
creatures live in fresh water while plants can grow in both
fresh water and saline water.
3.
4.
5. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): According to The
International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA),
Environmental impact assessment is defined as "the process of
identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical,
social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior
to major decisions being taken and commitments made.
Purpose Of The Assessment
provide information for decision-making on the environmental
consequences of proposed actions when deciding whether or not
to proceed with a project.
promote environmentally sound and sustainable development
through the identification of appropriate enhancement and
mitigation measures.
6. In practice, EIA is applied primarily:
To prevent or minimise the adverse effects of major
development proposals, eg. power stations, dams and
reservoirs, industrial complexes, etc.
It is used as a planning tool to promote sustainable
development by integrating environmental considerations into
a wide range of proposed actions.
More limited forms of EIA can be used to ensure that smaller
scale projects, conform to appropriate environmental standards
or site and design criteria. Eg. dredging activities, road
realignment and upgrading, and housing subdivisions.
7. Immediate objectives of EIA are to:
improve the environmental design of the proposal;
ensure that resources are used appropriately and efficiently;
identify appropriate measures for mitigating the potential impacts of the
proposal; and
facilitate informed decision making, including setting the environmental
terms and conditions for implementing the proposal.
Long term objectives of EIA are to:
protect human health and safety;
avoid irreversible changes and serious damage to the environment;
safeguard valued resources, natural areas and ecosystem components;
and
enhance the social aspects of the proposal.
8. In general the benefits of EIA include:
Better environmental planning and design of a proposal. Carrying out
an EIA entails an analysis of alternatives in the design and location of
projects. This can result in the selection of an improved technology, which
lowers waste outputs or an environmentally optimum location for a
project. A well-designed project can minimise risks and impacts on the
environment and people, and thereby avoid associated costs of remedial
treatment or compensation for damage.
Ensuring compliance with environmental standards. Compliance with
environmental standards reduces damage to the environment and
disruption to communities.
Savings in capital and operating costs. EIA can avoid the undue costs of
unanticipated impacts.
Reduced time and costs of approvals of development applications. If
all environmental concerns have been taken into account properly before
submission for project approval, then it is unlikely that delays will occur as
a result of decision-makers asking for additional information or alterations
to mitigation measures.
9. Evaluate potential impact on the environment
Ensure that the necessary precautions are taken to protect
the environment
Minimise environmental impact
Ensure a dialogue with authorities and the general public
Provide a basis for decision-making for authorities and
builders, and contribute to environmentally friendly
planning
10. Offshore Wind farms
Exploration of raw materials
Harbour expansion and dredging
Marine Aquaculture
Oil Platforms and Rigs
Bridges, pipelines and cables
12. Site supervision is an essential component of the
management of projects that have the capacity to have
significant impacts on the Marine Park and its users. It is
also used as a tool to enable the flexible management for
certain activities (for example filming to provide access to
or allow activities at a sensitive location in the presence of
a nominated site supervisor).
Site supervision fees for cost recovery purposes. As a guide, site
supervision costs may consist of the following:
Airfares, accommodation and travel allowance for EIA Project
Supervisors.
Transport to and from the site to be inspected (for example by boat
or helicopter)
13. The term Infrastructure for Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) typically refers to the technical structures
that support a society projects, such as roads, bridges, water
supply, sewers, electrical grids, telecommunications, and so
forth, and can be defined as "the physical components of
interrelated systems providing commodities and services
essential to enable, sustain, or enhance societal living
conditions.
It is important to note here that there are different
Infrastructures for EIA on different projects especially
within the marine environment as stated below:
14. Types of hard infrastructure
Transport infrastructure
Energy infrastructure
Water management infrastructure
Communications infrastructure
Solid waste management
Earth monitoring and measurement networks
Types of soft infrastructure
Governance infrastructure
Economic infrastructure
Social infrastructure
Cultural, sports and recreational infrastructure
15. 1. Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission Act
(2005):Grants permission to Ministries and Agencies to enter into a
contract with or grant concession to any duly pre-qualified project
proponent in the private sector for financing, construction, operation or
maintenance of any infrastructure that is financially viable.
2. Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Act 13 of
1997 : Empowers NIWA Carry out EIA of navigation and other dredging
activi-ties within the inland water and its right-of-ways. Etc
3. Minerals and Mining Act, 2007: Every holder of a mineral title under
this Act shall as far as it is reasonably practicable Minimise, manage and
mitigate any environmental impact resulting from activities carried out
under this Act.
4. Electrical Power Sector Reform Act (2005):Establishes the Nigerian
Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to monitor and regulate the
power sector to ensure Protection of the physical environment.
5. Draft Federal Highway Bill (2001):recognizes that every major project
for the construction, improvement or maintenance of a Federal Highway
shall be subject to an EIA in accordance with the EIA Act (1992)
16. 6. Federal Highway Act CAP 135 (revised 1990)
7. Public Health Law (L.N 47 of 1955, Cap 103): Provides
justification for the execution of developmental projects
under guidelines that promote health by protecting the
environment and safeguarding the health of humans.
17. 1. Nigerian Ports Authorities (NPA)
2. Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)
3. Ministry of Transport
4. Ministry of Communications
5. Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
6. Ministry of Power
7. Ministry of Aviation
8. Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
9. Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA)
10. Nigerian Railway Corporation
11. Ministry of Works and Housing
12. Ministry of Health
18. Nigeria subscribes to a number of International Regulations and
Conventions relating to Environmental Protection.
Both the Vienna convention for the protection of the Ozone
Layer and Montreal protocol for Control of Substances that
deplete the ozone layer
Basel convention on the prevention of trans-boundary
movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal.
Convention on the prevention of the international trade in
endangered species (CITES)
Convention on Biodiversity
Convention on climate change
Convention on Desertification
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
ETC
19. Operational Policy (OP)/Bank Procedure (BP)
Environment Assessment (OP/BP4.01)
Natural Habitats OP /BP 4.0)
Forests (OP 4.36, GP 4.36)
Pest Management (OP 4.09)
Cultural Property (OPN 11.03)
Indigenous Peoples (OD 4.20)
Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12)
Safety of Dams (OP 4.37, BP 4.37)
Projects on International Waters (OP /BP 7.50)
Projects in Disputed Areas (OP/BP 7.60)
Disclosure Policy (OP 17.50)
20. Outlined four basic principles to help fulfil the potential for
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to protect human
health:
One of the fundamental considerations in the approval of
projects, policies and plans should be the health of
communities affected by them;
Greater consideration should be given to the consequences
of development policies and programs for human health;
Environmental Impact Assessment should provide the best
available factual information on the consequences for
health of projects, policies and plans; and
Information on health impact should be available to the
public.
21. A Voluntary tool
A credit risk management framework for determining,
assessing and managing environmental and social risk
in project finance transactions.
Project finance is often used to fund the development
and construction of major infrastructure and industrial
projects.
Primarily intended to provide a minimum standard for
due diligence to support responsible risk decision-
making for project with capital costs exceeding US$10
million.
22. A great number of industries generally still view compliance
as a cost of doing business rather than as a social and moral
imperative.
Hence some consider it is more cost effective to risk a fine
than to comply and thus risk the fine.
Forward-thinking organisations understand increasingly that
actions beyond compliance are needed if unanticipated losses
are to be avoided.
These organisations are undertaking systematic efforts to,
"Do the right thing, do no harm, minimize environmental
footprints, immediately respond to incidents and effectively
communicate concerning all of these in a report.”
This is especially so in this age of corporate social
responsibility and corporate governance.