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Environmental Impact Assessment, Cultivation of Corals – Kosrae

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Environmental Impact Assessment, Cultivation of Corals – Kosrae Environmental Impact Assessment Cultivation of Corals – Kosrae, FSM Prepared for: Micronesia Management and Marketing Enterprises for the Kosrae State Government Funded by: Secretariat of the Pacific Communities (SPC) Prepared by: Stephen Lindsay, Marine Consultant 71 Walsh Street, Cairns, QLD, Australia Email: [email protected] CONTENT ACRONYMS and ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................3 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................4 2.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................5 2.1 BACKGROUND - AQUACULTURE ............................................................5 2.2 LEGISLATION.............................................................................................6 2.3 SCOPE OF THIS REPORT.........................................................................6 2.4 LIMITATIONS OF THIS REPORT...............................................................7 3.0 THE PROPONENT .........................................................................................8 3.1 MMME BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PLAN – THE PROJECT...................8 3.2 CITES REQUIREMENTS..........................................................................10 4.0 DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENT ............................................................12 4.1 LOCATION & FARM DESCRIPTION ........................................................12 4.2 GENERAL SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES OF THE FIELD SITES..............................................................................................................14 5.0 POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS & MITIGATION MEASURES ...15 5.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................15 5.2 ENVIRONMENTAL RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK.......................15 5.2.1 Identification of Risk............................................................................15 5.2.2 Risk Analysis ......................................................................................15 5.2.3 Likelihood and Consequence..............................................................15 5.2.4 Calculation of Risk Level.....................................................................15 5.2.5 Determination of Options for Treatment of Risks ................................16 5.3 GENERAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT .........................................................16 5.4 RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK.......................................................17 5.5 CONSTRUCTION & DEPLOYMENT OF FIELD EQUIPMENT .................19 5.6 OPERATIONAL PHASE............................................................................20 6.0 CONCLUSIONS & SUMMARY OF ISSUES.................................................22 6.1 CONSTRUCTION & DEPLOYMENT OF FIELD EQUIPMENT PHASE ....22 6.2 OPERATIONAL PHASE............................................................................22 7.0 REFERENCES .............................................................................................23 8.0 APPENDICES...............................................................................................24 8.1 Appendix 1. Photographs of Trash at the Experimental Site .....................24 8.2 APPENDIX 2. Photographs of Coral Culture Tables .................................25 8.3 APPENDIX 3 Threat Criteria and Consequence Scales and Risk Management ...................................................................................................26 EIA MMME Coral Farming Project – Kosrae FSM DRAFT 2 ACRONYMS and ABBREVIATIONS CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EIS Environmental Impact Statement EMS Environmental Management Standard ERLI Environmental Risk and Likely Impact FSM Federated States of Micronesia KIRMA Kosrae Island Resource Management Authority KSG Kosrae State Government MES Matters of Environmental Significance MMME Micronesia Management & Marketing Enterprises MRD Marine Resources Division NAC National Aquaculture Center PRL Primary Risk Level SCUBA Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Communities SRL Secondary Risk Level TOR Terms of Reference EIA MMME Coral Farming Project – Kosrae FSM DRAFT 3 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been commissioned by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) on behalf of the “Micronesia Management & Marketing Enterprises (MMME) for the Kosrae State Government (KSG) to assess the environmental impacts associated with the development of a commercial hard and soft coral aquaculture operation. The information detailed in this report is based on the business plan and data provided to the consultant by MMME through email correspondence over the duration of the assessment. The EIA has been designed to meet the environmental legislative requirements of the State of Kosrae as well as provide a template for SPC to assist other commercial operations within the Pacific member states associated with this regional agency. The EIA was based on the environmental regulations of the State of Kosrae with supplementary international Environment Management Standards (EMS) utilising environmental significance issues. Summary of the EIA funding are; The MMME business plan and experimental site does not have any significant impacts of matters of environmental significance (World Heritage Areas, Ramsar Sites, Listed endangered/vulnerable species, Migratory species listed under international treaties and Traditional Heritage Sites). All perceived environmental impacts associated with the construction and deployment of the field equipment is temporary, completely reversible and is of a very low significance. The majority of perceived operational and maintenance impacts associated with the general operational functions of a coral farm including the deployment of the coral fragments themselves are expected to be temporary, completely reversible and are of low significance. One high and one medium risk environmental impact was recorded for the expected daily operational functions of a coral farm. The required removal of hard and soft coral fragments directly from wild coral colonies and the use of broken and/or loose wild coral fragments located on the sea floor to initiate a coral farm were rated as a high and medium environmental impact risks, respectively. In each case, the impact risk issues are directly associated with the use of coral fragments obtained from wild corals and are applicable to any field site within the State of Kosrae. These highlighted impact risks associated with the operational phase of the company are temporary and over a time scale of one or two years fully reversible and will result in almost minimal impacts to the environment under correct mitigation procedures. International fragmentation collection protocols as detailed by MMME business plan will mitigate these risks. The requirement of obtaining coral fragment from wild sources will be completely removed once the orginal fragments have been on-grown to a size that fragments can be removed. Thus creating through aquaculture, a sustainable and continued source of coral fragments. Photographic data of host wild colonies before and after fragments are removed and again several months later should be included in a monitoring program to evaluate EIA MMME Coral Farming Project – Kosrae FSM DRAFT 4 these highlighted impacts. Corrective measures should be imposed if mortality rates of host colonies are documented. Conclusion drawn from this EIA originating from the data provided supports in principal the business development proposal by MMME to cultivate hard and soft corals in the inshore reefs associated with the five municipalities of Kosrae. It is however recommended that throughout the construction, deployment and daily operational activities associated with MMME coral aquaculture programs due diligence and careful management of the systems are undertaken. It is recommended for the further development of additional field sites, either directly executed by MMME and/or associated community based coral farms a precautionary approach should be adopted with special considerations to reduce and mitigate potential impacts associated with all aspects of this business. 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 BACKGROUND - AQUACULTURE Aquaculture has been the focus of technical development attention in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) for well over a decade with each state undertaking numerous aquaculture programs. These programs were designed to provide a means of economic development for the nation through increased local employment opportunities in the private sector and to increase natural stocks of certain species through nationwide restocking initiatives. The vast majority of past and current aquaculture programs for the nation have been developed and undertaken through funding support programs from a wide range of regional and international donor agencies and managed through both government and educational institutions. Private sector aquaculture developed during this time period both within Kosrae State and the nation was limited with neither long- term economic sustainability nor profitability attained (Lindsay, 2002). Aquaculture has been highlighted by the national and state governments of the nation as a potential economic avenue that could provide economic benefits, including local job creation,
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