Initial Environmental Examination July 2011 TON: Tonga-Fiji Submarine Cable Project Prepared by Tonga Cable Limited for the Asian Development Bank. Tonga Cable Limited Fiji‐Tonga Cable System: Environmental Assessment FINAL July 4, 2011 Fiji‐Tonga Cable System: Environmental Assessment Peter Newsome, Landcare Research James Comley University of the South Pacific Prepared for: Tonga Cable Limited P O Box 33 Nuku’alofa Kingdom of Tonga August 2010 Landcare Research, Massey University, Private Bag 11052, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand, Ph +64 6 353 4800, Fax +64 6 353 4801, www.landcareresearch.co.nz Institute of Applied Science, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, University of the South Pacific, Private Bag, Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji Reviewed by: Approved for release by: Grant Hunter Jane Lattimore Senior Scientist Science Leader Landcare Research International Business Landcare Research Contract Report: LC0910/133 © Tonga Cable Limited 2010 All copyright in this report is the property of Tonga Cable Limited. Any unauthorised publication, reproduction, or adaption of this report is a breach of that copyright and illegal. Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... v 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 9 1.2 The proposed scheme .............................................................................................. 9 1.3 Project justification ................................................................................................ 10 1.4 The need for an Environmental Assessment ......................................................... 10 1.5 The contents and structure of this report ............................................................. 11 2 Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework .................................................................. 13 2.1 Communications, development and environmental policies ................................ 13 2.2 Legal framework .................................................................................................... 15 2.3 International and regional environmental agreements ........................................ 19 2.4 World Bank and Asian Development Bank requirements ..................................... 22 2.5 Administration ....................................................................................................... 24 2.6 Summary of policy, legal and administrative frameworks .................................... 25 3 Description of the Fiji‐Tonga Cable System ..................................................................... 27 3.1 Existing operations ................................................................................................. 27 3.2 Proposed development .......................................................................................... 28 3.3 The design phase .................................................................................................... 30 3.4 The construction phase .......................................................................................... 31 3.5 The operation phase .............................................................................................. 33 3.6 Alternatives considered ......................................................................................... 34 4 Baseline Conditions ......................................................................................................... 36 4.1 Location and setting (influence area) .................................................................... 36 4.2 The physical environment ...................................................................................... 38 4.3 Habitats, flora and fauna ....................................................................................... 43 4.4 People and communities ....................................................................................... 55 4.5 Environmental hazards .......................................................................................... 65 5 Environmental Assessment ............................................................................................. 71 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 71 5.2 The physical environment ...................................................................................... 72 Tonga Cable Limited Page iii Fiji‐Tonga Cable System: Environmental Assessment 5.3 Habitats, flora and fauna ....................................................................................... 72 5.4 People and communities ....................................................................................... 78 5.5 Relevance of World Bank and Asian Development Bank safeguard policies ........ 83 5.6 Limitation of the EA ............................................................................................... 84 5.7 Summary of impacts .............................................................................................. 84 6 Environmental Management Plan ................................................................................... 93 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 93 6.2 Environmental Management Plan ......................................................................... 94 6.3 Mitigation measures ............................................................................................ 102 6.4 Institutional Capacity Assessment ....................................................................... 103 6.5 Implementation and administrative arrangements ............................................ 105 6.6 Monitoring plan ................................................................................................... 107 7 Public Consultations ...................................................................................................... 120 8 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 123 9 References ..................................................................................................................... 125 10 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... 131 11 Appendices .................................................................................................................... 133 Appendix 1 Terms of Reference ................................................................................. 133 Appendix 2 Schedule and Record of Consultations .................................................... 139 Appendix 3 Best Practice for Vessels Operating near Cetaceans ............................... 148 Appendix 4 Cyclone and Hydrocarbon Spill Contingency Plans ................................. 151 Appendix 5 Waste Management Policy ...................................................................... 154 Appendix 6 Environmental Coordination Role – key terms of reference .................. 155 12 Grievance Redress Mechanism………………………………………………………………………………….159 Page iv Tonga Cable Limited Fiji‐Tonga Cable System: Environmental Assessment Executive Summary This report addresses the requirements of the World Bank for an Environmental Assessment under World Bank Operational Policy 4.01 (World Bank 2007a), and the requirements of the Asian Development Bank for an Initial Environmental Examination under ADB guidelines for a Category B project. The Fiji–Tonga Cable System is a proposal to bring high-capacity, high-speed telecommunications to Tonga. It will establish a connection point in Tonga to the global telecommunications network via a new fibre-optic link to Fiji. A new cable station located in Sopu, Nuku’alofa, will provide facilities for downstream service providers to connect their domestic networks to the cable on a ‘level playing field’ basis. The two current retail providers, Tonga Communications Corporation and Digicel have already signalled their interest in connecting. The link will be a new fibre-optic submarine cable terminating in Suva where it will join to the western arm of the Southern Cross network. Southern Cross is a telecommunications loop that links Australia and New Zealand with the continental USA via Fiji and Hawaii. The Fiji– Tonga cable will have a scalable capacity that can grow with demand over a design life of 25 years. Funding is expected via a grant from the World Bank and a part-grant/part-loan from the Asian Development Bank. An analysis of the project has revealed strong financial and business cases for the development. The Fiji–Tonga Cable System is a significant development for the Kingdom of Tonga. It will help bridge the ‘digital divide’ that besets countries with small populations, dispersed over great oceanic distances with limited connectivity to the outside world. The proposed development is a first step in bringing the advantages of secure, high-capacity, high-speed and lower cost communications to Tonga, with an expected positive outcome in terms of improved economic and social development and a country better able to play its part in the