Appendix-11: Detailed Critical Habitat Assessment
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Morava Corridor Motorway Project Appendix-11: Detailed Critical Habitat Assessment APPENDIX - 11 Detailed Critical Habitat Assessment ESIA Final Report November 2020 SE102-000-ES-REP-00002 1 / 50 Morava Corridor Motorway Project Appendix-11: Detailed Critical Habitat Assessment 1. SCOPE This report relates to the identification and approximate delineation of critical habitat. In accordance with IFC Guidance Note, it identifies which areas are considered as critical habitat regardless of whether or not the project may affect them. This report focuses on the Proposed Motorway route, River Regulation and project facilities. 2. METHODOLOGY Critical habitat is an area which contains features that are essential for the conservation of a species or habitat of conservation concern and may require targeted management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by a species but is necessary for its recovery. The critical habitat definition presented in paragraph 16 of Performance Standard 6 is in line with criteria captured from a range of definitions of priority habitat for biodiversity conservation in use by the conservation community and incorporated in related governmental legislation and regulations. Critical habitats are areas of high biodiversity value that include at least one or more of the five values specified in paragraph 16 of Performance Standard 6 and/or other recognized high biodiversity values. There is no one criterion that is more important than any other for making critical habitat designations or for determining compliance with Performance Standard 6. For ease of reference, these values are referred to as “critical habitat criteria” for the remainder of this document. Each criterion is described in detail in paragraphs GN70–GN83. Critical habitat criteria are as follows and should form the basis of any critical habitat assessment: (GN53) • Criterion 1: Critically Endangered (CR) and/or Endangered (EN) species • Criterion 2: Endemic or restricted-range species • Criterion 3: Migratory or congregatory species • Criterion 4: Highly threatened and/or unique ecosystems • Criterion 5: Key evolutionary processes Projects that are located within internationally and/or nationally recognized areas of high biodiversity value may require a critical habitat assessment. Examples include the following: (GN54) • Areas that meet the criteria of the IUCN’s Protected Area Categories Ia, Ib and II. GN9 • Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), GN10 which encompass Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). ESIA Final Report November 2020 SE102-000-ES-REP-00002 2 / 50 Morava Corridor Motorway Project Appendix-11: Detailed Critical Habitat Assessment To facilitate decision-making, numerical thresholds have been defined for the first four critical habitat criteria (i.e., CR/EN species; endemic/restricted-range species; migratory/congregatory species; threatened and unique ecosystems). The thresholds presented in this Guidance Note were obtained from globally standardized numerical thresholds published in the IUCN’s A Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas and Red List Categories and Criteria. The thresholds are indicative and serve as a guideline for decision-making only. There is no universally accepted or automatic formula for making determinations on critical habitat. The involvement of external experts and project-specific assessments is of utmost importance, especially when data are limited (as will often be the case). (GN56) For Criterion 5, there are no numerical thresholds. Best available scientific information and expert opinion should be used to guide decision-making with respect to the relative “criticality” of a habitat in these cases. (GN57) 132 terrestrial or aquatic biodiversity features were assessed for critical habitat under the IFC criteria and given in Table 1. ESIA Final Report November 2020 SE102-000-ES-REP-00002 3 / 50 Morava Corridor Motorway Project Appendix-11: Detailed Critical Habitat Assessment Table 1. Critical Habitat Assessment Species / Global feature and population Distribution Assessment status (global trend and regional) Criterion 1: Critically Endangered / Endangered Species (The species included in the assessment consist of the strictly protected species according to the National Legislation.) a) Areas that support globally important concentrations of an IUCN Red-listed EN or CR species (≥ 0.5% of the global population AND ≥ 5 reproductive unitsGN16 of a CR or EN species). b) Areas that support globally important concentrations of an IUCN Red-listed Vulnerable (VU) species, the loss of which would result in the change of the IUCN Red List status to EN or CR and meet the thresholds in GN72(a). c) As appropriate, areas containing important concentrations of a nationally or regionally listed EN or CR species According to the studies conducted during the ESIA process and according to the EIAs prepared for the Morava Motorway Project, based on the decision of the Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia, It was determined that the area foreseen for the Motorway, is not located in "protected areas for which protection procedure has been carried out or initiated”, “Ecological Network of the Republic of Serbia ”, and “recorded natural assets”. It is also the habitat of several species of strictly protected and protected species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. No endemic or relict species were found. The animal and plant species that inhabit this area are relatively widespread in the territory of Serbia, so the area does not represent a vital part of the habitat for their survival or overall conservation status. *Potentially Affected Landscape in this project is determined as West Morava region (from Pojate to Preljina) is approximately 1000 km2 Flora Nuphar lutea Population status Widely distribute in Albania; Austria; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Widely distributed species in Eurasia and of this species is Croatia; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France (France (mainland)); Germany; Serbia. Stable and “LC Greece (Greece (mainland)); Hungary; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Ireland; Isle of Man; Italy These species are not concentrated in the (Sardegna, Italy (mainland)); Kazakhstan; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; West Morava Region. Moldova; Montenegro; Netherlands; North Macedonia; Norway; Palestine, State of; Poland; Portugal (Portugal (mainland)); Romania; Russian Federation (Northwest Due to the wide geographic extent of the European Russia, North European Russia, Central European Russia, East European species, landscape unlikely to support ≥ 0.5% Russia, Kaliningrad); Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain (Spain (mainland)); Sweden; of the global population. Not triggering Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Turkey (Turkey-in-Europe, Turkey-in-Asia); Ukraine; Criterion 1 United Kingdom (Great Britain, Northern Ireland). ESIA Final Report November 2020 SE102-000-ES-REP-00002 4 / 50 Morava Corridor Motorway Project Appendix-11: Detailed Critical Habitat Assessment Species / Global feature and population Distribution Assessment status (global trend and regional) Invertebrates Papilio Population status Widely distribute in Albania; Andorra; Austria; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Widely distributed species in Europe and machaon of this species is Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Serbia. Stable and “LC” Italy; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Moldova; Montenegro; These species are not concentrated in the Netherlands; North Macedonia; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian Federation; West Morava Region. Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom. Due to the wide geographic extent of the species, landscape unlikely to support ≥ 0.5% of the global population. Not triggering Criterion 1 Pieris brassicae Population status Widely distribute in Albania; Andorra; Austria; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Widely distributed species in Europe and of this species is Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Serbia. Stable and “LC” Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Moldova; These species are not concentrated in the Montenegro; Netherlands; North Macedonia; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian West Morava Region. Federation; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom. Due to the wide geographic extent of the species, landscape unlikely to support ≥ 0.5% of the global population. Not triggering Criterion 1 Amphibians Salamandra Population status Widely distribute in Albania; Andorra; Austria; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Widely distributed species in Europe and salamandra of this species Croatia; Czechia; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Italy; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Serbia. Decreasing and Montenegro; Netherlands; North Macedonia; Poland; Portugal; Romania; San Marino; These species are not concentrated in the “LC” Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Switzerland; Ukraine. West Morava Region. Due to the wide geographic extent of the species, landscape unlikely to support ≥ 0.5% of the global population. Not triggering Criterion 1 ESIA Final Report November 2020 SE102-000-ES-REP-00002 5 / 50 Morava Corridor Motorway Project Appendix-11: Detailed Critical Habitat Assessment Species / Global feature and population