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Environmental Science > EIA: Ecology, evaluations and baseline survey methods > Flashcards

EIA: Ecology, evaluations and baseline survey methods Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the situation with the world’s ecosystems?

A

60% of the worlds ecosystem are being degraded or used unsustainably- Millenium Ecosystem Assessment.

It is a a global and regional problem

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2
Q

Is EIA the answer to sustainable use of our ecosystems?

A

Only partly.

  • it can help to conserve species and habitats threatened by development
  • but it doesn’t address, e.g. large scale land use changes, pre-existing developments, introduced species, climate change
  • and is clearly written in to the EIA law, i.e. fauna and flora etc.
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3
Q

What should be included in a EcIA? (IEEM, 2006).

A
  1. Scoping- involving consultation to ensure the widest possible input for determining the scope of EcIA
  2. An identification of the expected zone of influence
  3. A determination and evaluation of ecological resources
  4. A description of expected biophysical changes which could affect valuable ecological resources
  5. An assessment of those changes if they are able to cause a significant ecological impact
  6. The development of ecological improvement and mitigation measures for avoiding any negative impacts.
  7. An assessment of ecological impacts and their significance
  8. The summing up for consequences for decision making
  9. The monitoring and implementation of mitigation measures and ecological outcomes
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4
Q

Describe the impacts of the quarrying proposal within its zone of influence.
(Bardon Aggregates, Croft Quarry Leicestershire)

A
  • all ecological features or resources occurring in area to be worked will be affected by changes in land cover caused by topsoil stripping and excavation.
  • Noise, dust and changes in human activity will also affect species in adjacent habitats
  • Major long-term dewatering operations could have consequences for water-dependent habitats distant from the quarry. (Hydrological/ hydrogeological modelling may be required
  • New infrastructure ( e.g. roads, power supply, water disposal) could have consequences for ecological features beyond the boundaries of the site in addition to those affected by dewatering. This zone of influence should include all such features that are sufficient value to be included in the assessment.
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5
Q

Where does information come from during a desk study?

A
  • local economies
  • Natural England
  • Environmental agency
  • Local wildlife trusts

Specific groups
(e.g. birders, wildfowlers, bat groups, herpetologist, butterfly groups etc

Spatial investigations:

  • OS maps
  • Geological maps
  • Land use maps
  • Habitat maps
  • Remote sensing
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6
Q

How are national areas protected?

A

National laws:
Date back to the 1940s
updated by Countryside and Rights of way act 2000 (england and wales)
- Natural Environmental and rural communities (NERC) act 2006
- conservation in the UK run by the nature conservancy council- in England this is Natural England (until 2006 English Nature)

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7
Q

What does an SSSI entitle?

A
  • scientific basis for selection: part of a national series to maintain the diversity of plants and animals in the UK
  • Often privately owned land (Can prove an issue as it is the responsibility of the land owners so therefore there is potential no management
  • The old system pre-2000 was not very effective (e.g. 45% of SSSIs in an unfavorable condition
  • Decline more often due to neglect rather than intentional damage
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8
Q

What are SSSI like now?

A
  • All have to have a management statement- this can extend to land outside the site
  • Financial rewards for positive management
  • Management notice can be issue in the case of failure, followed by prosecution and/or compulsory purchase
  • Offence of reckless damage by third parties
  • Development not permitted without satisfactory mitigation, agreed by Natural england
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9
Q

Describe National Nature Reserves

A
  • National importance (higher level)
  • Scientific/ research basis: national importance
  • usually owned or managed by NCC
  • 400+ designated sites (900 proposed by Ratcliffe 1977) (
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10
Q

Describe Local Nature Reserves

A

Down a tier- of more local importance

  • Similar basis for selection to SSSIs
  • usually on land owned by local authority
  • designated by local authorities
    (? therefore potentially different objectives).
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11
Q

What are non-statutory nature reserves?

A
  • Wide range of individual designations
    e. g. SINCs (Sites of important nature conservation
  • In southampton- Greenways
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12
Q

What are international protected areas and what are the referred to?

A

International designated sites are referred to as Natura 2000 sites, designated to safeguard the wildlife most at risk.

  • Ramsar sites
  • SPAs
  • SACs

If impacts are likely, will usually need appropriate assessment
- Development possible is IROPI (Imperative Reasons of Overriding public interest).

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13
Q

What are Ramsar sites?

A

Ramsar Convention on wetlands of international importance (1971).

  • covers wetlands under a very broad definition
  • supports monitoring and conservation
  • general and probably unenforceable
  • Protection in UK via national & EU laws
  • 140 UK sites
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14
Q

What is the EC wild bird directive 1979?

A

1st European Directive for wildlife.

  • SPA’s designated to safeguard habitats of migratory and threatened species
  • 240 sites across the UK
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15
Q

What is the habitats directive 1992?

A

Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.

  • SACs (600 sites in the UK) reasons for designating an SAC:
  • presence of a prioirty habitat type or species
  • presence of a habitat or species which is rare in the UK
  • presence of a diversity of listed habitats and/or species
  • presence of a large proportion of the European resource
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16
Q

What is the case for designating the coast and sea?

A
  • Apparently not very well

Nationally:

  • NNR and SSSI- to mean low water only
  • Marine Nature Reserve (MNR): only 3 in the UK (Lundy, Skomer and Strandford Lough) plus voluntary (e.g. Kimmeridge)
  • MNR protection broadly equivalent to NNR
  • Heritage coasts- there is no legal protection but is considered by planning authorities in matters like development.
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17
Q

International protection: what are European Marine Sites?

A
  • They are protected under European Law and include SPAs and SACs
  • Part of the Europe wide network (Natura 2000)
  • Can extend from terrestrial to marine ( as coastal and marine SACs).
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18
Q

What is the UK Biodiversity Framework?

A
  • Initiative from Earth Summit (Rio 1992)- commitments
  • Creates action plans for species and habitats
  • Wider remit than traditional UK protection
  • Funding with corporate partners (not very successful e.g. snails aren’t very appealing).
  • 1150 priority species
  • 65 priority habitat types (e.g. Heath lands, mires, brackish lagoons)
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19
Q

What is the Biodiversity action plan for the red hemp nettle?

A
  • Significance of population in region/ UK: National stronghold
  • Decline: decline
  • Local rarity: scarce
  • Threat: High
  • Habitats: Arable Fields margins, road verges
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20
Q

What is the Biodiversity action plan for the Tentacled lagoon worm?

A
  • Significance of population in region/ UK: National stronghold
  • Decline: stable
  • Local rarity: rare
  • Threat: high
  • Habitats: Saline lagoons
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21
Q

Describe individual species protection.

A

Traditionally protection via Wildlife and Country side act 1981, since strengthen by CRoW, recently consolidated in conservation of Habitats and Species regulations 2010

22
Q

What are the schedules species?

A
  • All birds (unless specifically exempted)
  • All reptiles and amphibians
  • Named plants and animals

Licences needed for disturbance, handling, certain types of surveys

23
Q

Schedule species examples.

A
  • Hazel Dormouse
  • Reptile species
  • Amphibian Species
  • Bat species
  • White clawed crayfish
  • Nesting birds
  • Badger
  • Water voles
  • Otter
24
Q

Where is protection derived from?

A
  • Habitats directive
  • Wildlife and Countryside act 1981
  • The conservation of habitats and species regulations 2010
25
Q

Who are the regulatory bodies?

A
  • Natural England- dispenses European Protected Species Licences, consult with-
  • Councils
  • Planning departments
  • County Ecologists
  • Environmental agency
26
Q

What are the implications for developers with wildlife?

A

Developers are halted and planning is often refused on ecological issues:

  • London array and red-throated divers
  • Bats species

Biodiversity action plans/ national planning framework
- European Protected Species Licence needed for survey and management- often costs and delays result.

27
Q

Briefly describe bats.

A
  • 17 species breeding in the UK
  • Hunt by echolocation
  • Diet consists of invertebrates
  • Hibernate during winter months
  • Roost during day, hunt at night
  • Roost types include day, transient, hibernation, feeding perch, maternity and mating
  • Emerge from hibernation in May time (weather dependent)
  • Give birth to single pup usually in june which begin to disperse in august
  • Mate in october- females able to store sperm during hibernation
  • Go into torpor depending on weather conditions
28
Q

What are the bat implications for developers?

A
  • Bat species most common ecological issue
  • Biodiversity action plans/ national planning framework
  • European Protected species licence needed for survey and management
  • often costs and delays often result.
29
Q

Why do bats and humans often come into conflict?

A
  • Make use of man-made structures
  • Some species listed on biodiversity action plan as Priority Species
  • Under current UK/EU legislation it it illegal to disturb and harm/kill bats, damage their breeding or resting places
    therefore
  • it could be illegal to re-roof your house is pipistrelles were roosting (and you knew- grey area)
  • Extend your property if bats were present in areas which would be disturbed or impacted
  • Demolish or convert a building where bats were roosting
30
Q

What is the protocol for bats?

A

Initial survey: carried out at any time of year

  • external- access points, droppings, suitable habitats, flight lines
  • internal- feeding remains, droppings, scratch marks, urine staining

Phase II- during the active bat season

31
Q

What are phase II Survey methods?

A
  • Emergence/ re-entry
  • Sonogram analysis
  • Visual observation
  • Species, types of roost (maternity/ day/ hibernation/ mating).
  • How big is the population, how often is roost being used?
  • Can include ‘destructive search’ under licence- often needed during development
32
Q

What is destructive search?

A

Supervised by a licensed bat worker, removes any bats that do not leave of their own accord, sensitivity carried out.

33
Q

What are bat mitigation options?

A 
Avoidance= leave the bats 
Compensation= replacement with like for like, or similar 
Enhancement= Additional features to what is already present to promote biodiversity and protected species.
34
Q

What would compensation for bats include?

A

Bat boxes/ restoration of roost

- 20k bat house

35
Q

What would enhancement for bats include?

A
  • Bat boxes
  • hedgerows/ linear features
  • Water features
  • Increased access to roost areas
  • Enlargement of roost areas
36
Q

What is a baseline study’s aim?

A

Establish the nature of a site and find out what is there

37
Q

What might you desk study ask?

A 
Designations?
Should it be designated?
Any protected species?
Has it been surveyed already?
When? What methods?
Are the data available of sufficient quality?

the desk study might actually supply enough information that a field study is unnecessary.
- obviously a site visit to check information is advisable

38
Q

What is the NNC phase 1 habitat survey?

A

Widely accepted as the standard approach for assessing the ecological condition of a site during EIA.

Aims:

  • to provide a record of the vegetation and wildlife habitat using a reproducible method based on a standard classification of the vegetation types and referring to topographic and substrate features
  • the method was developed with conservation aims but is equally applicable to baselines studies in an environmental assessment prior to development.
39
Q

What are the methods for a NCC survey?

A

Aerial photography
GIS generated base map
Ground truthing- i.e. direct measurement if needed

  • vegetation types are mapped (usually on OS 1:10,000) based on 90 specified habitat types
  • Target notes- made in the field give a brief account of particular areas of nature conservation interest e.g. rare plants or animals, management regimes, geological features, recreational uses, the need for more detailes survey work (phase 2 and 3) in specific areas.
  • Habitat areas can be estimated using GIS
40
Q

Mapping gives a highly visual presentation of the data gathered- useful to other members of EIA team.

A

…

41
Q

Why should a phase 1 study be adequate for a preliminary ecological survey?

A

Because it gives information on:

  • will the development cause significant ecological impacts?
  • Have any important habitats, taxonomic groups or species been identified?
  • Have any contentious issues appeared?
  • What other survey work (if any) is needed?
  • Can impacts be evaluated (e.g.) on magnitude and scale?
  • The importance of habitats and scale?
  • Sensitivity?
42
Q

What are the limitations of NCC phase 1?

A
  • Inaccuracy ?
43
Q

What are phase 2 studies?

A
  • usually restricted to single habitat types, or major groups
  • more detailed species level identification
  • more exact habitat classification
  • National Vegetation Classification
  • Diversity evaluations assesses range of variation within a particular habitat
44
Q

What are phase 3 studies?

A
  • highly detailed, specialists are often needed
  • extent and distribution of plant and animal species on sites
  • produces detailed information on frequency or abundances of communities and species: implications for site management
45
Q

How well are the surveys done in the EIA?

A

(Thompson, Treweek and Thurling, 1997)
survey of 179 ES:
- 93% identified impacts, only 9% attempted to quantify them
- 45% based findings on new survey information
- 48% consulted with statutory consultees for nature conservation
- 23% provided detail of mitigation methods
- a universal failure to make any commitments to monitoring

46
Q

Does international law always protect from development?

A
  • Natura 2000 sites are strongly protected development which damages the conservation objectives or the integrity of the site is not always permitted
  • An appropriate assessment is needed where a site is threatened
  • But they can be developed in some circumstances under IROPI
47
Q

What is an appropriate assessment?

A
  • A report which assesses the potential effects upon a designated european site
  • UK government planning policy also extends the same levels of protection to ramsar sites
48
Q

What are the aims of an appropriate assessment?

A
  • assess the implications a proposal would have on a sites conservation objectives
  • to ascertain whether the integrity of a protected site would be adversely effected
  • carried out by a competent authority (e.g. LPA) usually guided by Natural England
  • developer must supply information (i.e. survey data, impact prediction)
  • Considered in parallel to ES- at time of decision
  • Can inform decisions involving IROPI
49
Q

What was the trump appropriate assessment?

A

Description of development:

  • Distance from SPA and a map of site in relation to SPA
  • Projected number of additional residents and visitors
  • Types of residents and dwellings proposed
  • Key issue was managing recreational pressure and bird disturbances

Potential impacts on the SPA with respect to Conservation objectives:
- The population of PINK FOOTED GEESE (terns, eider etc.) as a viable component of the site- No significant disturbance of the species predicted

Mitigation
- Education and management of visitors to minimise disturbances on and off site

50
Q

IROPI for Natura 2000 sites

A
  • If, in spite of a negative assessment of the implications for the site
  • and in the absence of alternative solutions
  • a plan or project must nevertheless be carried out for IROPI, including those of a social or economic nature
  • the member state shall take all compensatory measures necessary to ensure that overall coherence of Natura 2000 is protected
  • It shall inform commission of the compensatory measures adopted
    i. e. EU permission is needed

Where the site concerned lists a priority natural habitat/ and or priority species, the only consideration which may be raised are those relating to

  • human health or public safety
  • beneficial consequences of primary importance for the environment
  • or further to an opinion from the commission, to other IROPI
    (i. e. only very important human factors can override the presence of key wildlife).

If a priority habitat or species would not be affected, then it is still necessary to conclude whether there are IROPI to justify granting planning permission

  • this can include social or economic reasons
  • the reasons have to be imperative and of overriding public interest, the barrier to allowing development is still fairly high
  • for example, supported by clear indication from Government policy of imperative reasons

Environmental Science (13 decks)

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