Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Woodchip Biomass Production Buchanan Renewables Fuel Prepared By: EARTHTIME INC. October, 2009 Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Buchanan Renewables Fuel Table of Contents 2010 EARTHTIME INC. BUCHANAN RENEWABLES FUEL INC. Document Type: ESIA BR FUEL Contract Ref: SQ 100908-01 250 Excluding BR FUEL ESIA No. of Pages: Appendices Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Version Final Report Approved by Wassim Hamdan Project Manager October 07, 2010 Reviewed by Issam Bou Jaoude Peer Reviewer October 06, 2010 Prepared by Dia Karanouh Forestry Management October 06, 2010 Environmental & Social Rena Karanouh September 28, 2010 Consultant Yasmin El Helwe Environmental September 28, 2010 Consultant Cornelius Wright Technical Assistant September 28, 2010 DISCLAIMER This report has been prepared by EARTHTIME INC. , with all reasonable skill, care and diligence within the terms of the contract with the client, incorporating our General Terms and Conditions of Business and taking account of the resources devoted to it by agreement with the client. The information contained in this report is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of printing. The interpretations and recommendations are based on our experience, using reasonable professional skill and judgment, and based upon the information that was available to us. This report is confidential to the client and we accept no responsibility whatsoever to third parties to whom this report, or any part thereof, is made known. Any such party relies on the report at their own risk. EARTHTIME INC. LiberCell Building, Randall & Benson Streets, P.O. Box 1584 1000 Monrovia 10, Liberia Tel: +231-4-777557 Email: [email protected] www.earthtimegroup.com Prepared by Earthtime ii Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Buchanan Renewables Fuel Table of Contents 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENT .................................................................................................................................... III LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................ VIII LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................... X EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. XIV 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 26 1.1 THE ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ...................................................................... 27 1.2 SCOPE OF WORK .................................................................................................................................... 28 2 LEGISLATIVE AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................... 30 2.1 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................................... 30 2.2 NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY .................................................................................................................. 35 2.2.1 Key Policy Issues .......................................................................................................................... 36 2.3 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY STANDARDS ............................................................................................. 36 2.4 INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................... 36 3 DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................ 39 3.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION .............................................................................................. 39 3.2 METEOROLOGICAL SETTING .................................................................................................................. 40 3.2.1 Precipitation ................................................................................................................................. 41 3.2.2 Temperature and Sunshine ........................................................................................................... 43 3.2.3 Wind ............................................................................................................................................. 43 3.2.3.1 Wind Direction (Robertsfield, 2000-2006) .......................................................................................... 43 3.2.3.2 Wind Speed (Robertsfield, 2000-2006) ................................................................................................ 44 3.2.4 Relative Humidity ........................................................................................................................ 44 3.3 GEOLOGICAL SETTING ........................................................................................................................... 45 3.3.1 Stratigraphy .................................................................................................................................. 45 3.4 SOIL ........................................................................................................................................................ 47 3.5 HYDROLOGY .......................................................................................................................................... 49 3.6 VEGETATION .......................................................................................................................................... 51 3.7 WETLANDS: LAGOONS, ESTUARIES, SWAMPS AND MANGROVES ........................................................ 54 3.7.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 54 3.7.2 Lake Piso Wetlands ....................................................................................................................... 56 3.8 BIODIVERSITY ......................................................................................................................................... 57 3.8.1 Fauna and Flora ............................................................................................................................ 57 3.8.2 Protected Areas ............................................................................................................................. 58 3.8.2.1 Nationally Protected Areas .................................................................................................................. 58 3.8.2.2 Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance ................................................................................. 59 3.8.2.3 Key Biodiversity Areas ......................................................................................................................... 60 3.9 AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................................. 65 3.9.1 Rubber........................................................................................................................................... 66 3.10 ENERGY & ELECTRICITY RESOURCES ............................................................................................... 69 Prepared by Earthtime iii Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Buchanan Renewables Fuel Table of Contents 2010 3.11 SOCIO-ECONOMICS ........................................................................................................................... 73 3.11.1 Demographics .......................................................................................................................... 73 3.11.2 Household Characteristics ....................................................................................................... 74 3.11.3 Land Use Pattern ..................................................................................................................... 75 3.11.4 Economics ................................................................................................................................ 76 3.11.5 Health Care Delivery ............................................................................................................... 76 3.11.6 Infrastructure ........................................................................................................................... 76 4 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................................... 79 4.1 PROJECT LOCATION ............................................................................................................................... 82 4.2 HARVESTING PLAN ................................................................................................................................ 83 4.2.1 Corporate Concessions .................................................................................................................. 85 4.2.2 Independent Commercial Plantations ........................................................................................... 86 4.2.3 Smallholder Rubber Farms ..........................................................................................................