Executive Summary & Main Report
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ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY FOR SIERRA TROPICAL LTD’s AGRICULTURAL PROJECT IN LUGBU CHIEFDOM BO DISTRICT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY & MAIN REPORT Prepared by CEMMATS Group Ltd on behalf of: SIERRA TROPICAL LIMITED (STL) September Freetown, Sierra Leone 2016 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Sierra Tropical Ltd Agricultural Project: Executive Summary and Main Report DOCUMENT HISTORY Version History Date Reviewer Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Sierra Tropical Ltd Title Agricultural Project: Executive Summary and Main Report Anthony Mansaray; Arnold Okoni-Williams; Bartholomew Bockarie; Joe Authors Lappia; Leonard B. Buckle; Ralph Bona; Rashidu Sinnah; Vanessa James Date September 2016 Subject Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Publisher CEMMATS Group Ltd Type Client Report Description ESIA for the Sierra Tropical Ltd Contributors Joseph Gbassa; Josephine Turay; Mariama Jalloh Format Microsoft™ Word 2007 Source Text Rights © CEMMATS Group Ltd Identifier Language English Relation Coverage Sierra Leone, 2016 © CEMMATS Group Ltd, October 2016 ii Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Sierra Tropical Ltd Agricultural Project: Executive Summary and Main Report CONSULTANT’S DISCLAIMER CEMMATS Group Ltd (hereafter, 'CEMMATS') has prepared this Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Report for the sole use of the Client and for the intended purposes as stated in the Contract between the Client and CEMMATS under which this work was completed. This ESIA Report may not be relied upon by any other party without the express written agreement of CEMMATS and/or the Client. CEMMATS has exercised due and customary care in conducting this ESIA but has not, save as specifically stated, independently verified information provided by others. No other warranty, expressed or implied is made in relation to the conduct of the ESIAS or the contents of this Report. Therefore, CEMMATS assumes no liability for any loss resulting from errors, omissions or misrepresentations made by others. This Report has been prepared at the request of the Client. The use of this Report by unauthorised third parties without written authorisation from CEMMATS shall be at their own risk, and CEMMATS accepts no duty of care to any such third party. Any recommendations, opinions or findings stated in this Report are based on circumstances and facts as they existed at the time CEMMATS performed the work. Any changes in such circumstances and facts upon which this Report is based may adversely affect any recommendations, opinions or findings contained in this Report. No part of this Report may be copied or duplicated without the express written permission of the Client and/or CEMMATS. Where field investigations have been carried out, these have been restricted to a level of detail required to achieve the stated objectives of the work referred to in the Contract. This work has been undertaken in accordance with CEMMATS' Quality System. Signed by: Andrew Keili CEMMATS Group Ltd Beyoh House 7A Cantonment Road Off King Harman Road Brookfields Freetown Sierra Leone Email: [email protected] Tel: +232 76602174 Website: www.cemmatssl.com © CEMMATS Group Ltd, October 2016 iii Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Sierra Tropical Ltd Agricultural Project: Executive Summary and Main Report ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to extend our appreciation to various government of Sierra Leone (GOSL) ministries, departments, agencies, institutions, statutory bodies, organisations and individuals whose assistance, either directly or indirectly, made the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) study possible. We are particularly grateful to the assistance availed to us by the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone (EPA-SL), especially for providing us with useful take off guidance to carry out the ESIA study. We acknowledge the assistance and cooperation of Sierra Tropical Limited, who availed us relevant documents and information, to successfully carry out this study. We are thankful to the local authorities and members of the various communities visited in the Lugbu Chiefdom for their diverse assistance during the main field visit. Last but not least, we would like to thank all those who, in one way or another contributed to making this ESIA study successful. © CEMMATS Group Ltd, October 2016 iv Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Sierra Tropical Ltd Agricultural Project: Executive Summary and Main Report TABLE OF CONTENTS DOCUMENT HISTORY ................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. x LIST OF ACRONYMS ..................................................................................................... xii GLOSSARY ..................................................................................................................... xiv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................. 16 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 40 1.1 Project Background ............................................................................................... 40 1.2 National Perspective ............................................................................................. 40 1.3 Project Area .......................................................................................................... 41 1.3.1 Brief History of Lugbu Chiefdom .................................................................. 42 1.4 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Process .......................................... 42 1.4.1 Stages of the ESIA Process ............................................................................ 42 1.4.2 Purpose of the ESIA Study ............................................................................. 43 1.4.3 Objectives of the ESIA Study ......................................................................... 43 1.4.4 ESIA Consultants and Teams ......................................................................... 44 1.5 Description of the Terms of Reference (TOR) ....................................................... 45 1.6 Scope of Work ...................................................................................................... 53 1.7 Assumptions and Limitations of Study .................................................................. 53 1.8 ESIA Study Boundaries ........................................................................................ 53 1.9 Organisation of the ESIA Report(s) ....................................................................... 54 1.9.1 The ESIA Report ........................................................................................... 54 1.9.2 Management Plans featured in the ESMP ....................................................... 55 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................... 57 2.1 Specific Project Components ................................................................................ 62 2.1.1 Phase 1 .......................................................................................................... 62 2.1.2 Phases 2 and 3................................................................................................ 78 2.2 Timescale of Operations........................................................................................ 80 3 ANALYSES OF PROJECT ALTERNATIVES ........................................................... 81 3.1 The “No Project Option” ....................................................................................... 81 3.2 The Project Site ..................................................................................................... 82 3.3 Project Technology & Operations Option .............................................................. 82 4 POLICY, LEGAL, REGULATORY and INSTITUTONAL CONTEXT ...................... 84 4.1 Policies and Plans ................................................................................................. 84 © CEMMATS Group Ltd, October 2016 v Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Sierra Tropical Ltd Agricultural Project: Executive Summary and Main Report 4.1.1 National Environmental Policy, 1994 ............................................................. 84 4.1.2 Agricultural Policy ......................................................................................... 85 4.1.3 Draft National Lands Policy, 2015 ................................................................. 85 4.1.4 Forestry Policy, 2010 ..................................................................................... 86 4.1.5 Conservation and Wildlife Policy, 2010 ......................................................... 87 4.1.6 Disaster Management Preparedness Plan, 2006 .............................................. 87 4.2 Legislation