Biodiversity Survey at Danang Airport
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ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION AT DANANG AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT Biodiversity Survey at Danang Airport NOVEMBER 14, 2012 1 This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It was prepared by Hatfield Consultants (Hatfield) and Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), on behalf of CDM International, Inc. (CDM Smith) Environmental Remediation at Danang Airport Construction Management and Oversight Biodiversity Survey at Danang Airport Prepared by: Dr. Le Xuan Canh, Director of Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and Hatfield Consultants (Hatfield), on behalf of CDM International, Inc. (CDM Smith) Submitted to: Jamey Watt, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) USAID Contract No.: AID-EDH-1-00-08-00023 USAID Order No.: AID-486-TO-12-00001 Report Date: November 14, 2012 CONTENTS SECTION 1 – BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE ................................................................. 1-1 SECTION 2 – SCOPE OF WORK ............................................................................................ 2-1 SECTION 3 – STUDY TIME, LOCATION, AND METHODS .............................................. 3-1 3.1 Study Time and Location .......................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1 Survey .............................................................................................................................. 3-1 3.1.2 Location ........................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 3-1 3.2.1 Field Work ..................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2.2 Lab Studies ...................................................................................................................... 3-1 SECTION 4 – RESULTS OF BIODIVERSITY SURVEY ......................................................... 4-1 4.1 List of Plant Species at Danang Airport ................................................................................. 4-1 4.1.1 Diversity of Plants at Danang Airport ...................................................................... 4-8 4.2 Number and List of Plant Species Identified in the Field During Surveys at Danang Airport, with GPS Coordinates ............................................................................... 4-9 4.3 Comparison of Plant Species List from the EIA and the September 20102 Biodiversity Survey ................................................................................................................... 4-18 4.4 Potential Impacts of Remediation Activities on Plant Biodiversity at Danang Airport ......................................................................................................................... 4-20 SECTION 5 –COMMENTARY ON OTHER SPECIES REPORTED IN THE EIA ............... 5-1 5.1 Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 5-1 5.2 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 5-1 5.2.1 Birds ................................................................................................................................. 5-1 5.2.2 Mammals ......................................................................................................................... 5-2 5.2.3 Reptiles and Amphibians ............................................................................................. 5-2 5.2.4 Fish and Aquatic Biota ................................................................................................. 5-2 5.3 Comments .................................................................................................................................... 5-3 SECTION 6 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 6-1 i Contents TABLES Table 1 List of Plants in Danang Airport ............................................................................................................ 4-1 Table 2 List of Plants in Danang Airport with GPS Coordinates ................................................................. 4-9 Table 3 List of Species that Overlap .................................................................................................................. 4-18 APPENDICES 1 Map Showing Transect Locations 2 Photos of Flora and Field Survey ii Contents ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CDM Smith CDM International, Inc. COR Contracting Officer Representative EIA Environmental Impact Assessment GPS global positioning system GVN Government of Vietnam ha hectare Hatfield Hatfield Consultants IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature MND Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense Construction Management and Oversight of Environmental Remediation Project of Danang Airport USAID United States Agency for International Development VAST Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology iii 1 Background and Objective The Governments of Vietnam (GVN) and the United States, through the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), are undertaking the remediation of dioxin contamination at Danang Airport. CDM International Inc. (CDM Smith) is the construction management contractor overseeing the remediation in association with Hatfield Consultants (Hatfield) under the project titled Construction Management and Oversight of Environmental Remediation of Danang Airport (the Project). The work being performed involves excavation and treatment of dioxin contaminated soil and sediment at the northern end of Danang Airport. A biodiversity survey was conducted in 2011 by MND, Air Defense Air Force Command as part of the Project's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) (MND 2012). The EIA concluded that "biodiversity is poor as the area was originally coastal sandy land, where later the Airport was built and dioxin-containing defoliants were stored. The area is now in the middle of densely-populated area so biodiversity is practically non- existent. No species listed in the Red Book of Vietnam 2007 are found…. This terrestrial ecosystem has very low biodiversity value…. Project impact on aquatic biodiversity is not high since biodiversity in Sen Lake and in the Eastern Wetland is insignificant, and there are no rare animal or plant species in the area." Based on these findings, no species of concern are expected to be found in the Danang Airport area. The EIA recommended a follow-up Biodiversity Survey be conducted, prior to commencement of site clearance. The recommendation was to "study carefully the ecosystems prior to proceeding with site clearance. If precious or rare species are found, they should be relocated out of the Project area if possible, and/or mark the sensitive ecosystem or fence it off if it is close to the Project site." Under CDM Smith’s construction management contract, Hatfield and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) conducted a Biodiverity Survey from September 4, 2012 to September 6, 2012 to verify if any species of concern exist in the approximately 9 hectare (ha) excavation area at the Danang Airport. The objective of the Biodiversity Survey was to confirm whether any species of concern – species listed in the Vietnam Red Book (Ministry of Science and Technology and VAST 2007) or in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/) and their associated habitats – are present on the Danang Airport and whether they may need special protection during the remediation activities. This report documents the findings of the Biodiversity Survey. 1-1 2 Scope of Work The following was the scope of work for this Biodiversity Survey: Review previous EIA biodiversity survey methods, data, and report, and make recommendations for any changes or modifications. Provide detailed methods for the pre-construction Biodiversity Survey. Conduct a short (2- to 3-day) terrestrial biodiversity survey of Danang Airport, with logistical assistance from the CDM Smith team working onsite. This should include a detailed and systematic field survey of the 9 ha excavation areas, with possible transect sampling in representative areas of the Eastern Wetland where access may be difficult. Interviews with local people may be required to verify species lists, particularly for fish and migratory birds. If any plant species of concern are identified, these should be noted, recorded, photographed, and removed from the excavation area, and placed in a small containment facility (fenced-off garden) to be constructed on the Danang Airport property (location to be determined by CDM Smith and MND field personnel). Samples of any plant species of concern should be collected for lab verification, if required. 2-1 3 Study Time, Location, and Methods 3.1 Study Time and Location 3.1.1 Survey Duration of survey: 3 days (September 4-6, 2012) 3.1.2 Location Danang Airport (see Appendix