Appendix 18 Critical Habitat Assessment Yaoure Gold Project, Côte d’Ivoire Submitted to Amara Mining Submitted By Amec Foster Wheeler Earth & Environmental (UK) Ltd. ESIA REPORT, YAOURE GOLD PROJECT APPENDIX 18 CRITICAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT JUNE 2015 R E P O R T I S S U E F ORM Client Name Amara Mining plc Project Name Yaoure Gold Project Report Title Critical Habitat Assessment Document Status Final Issue No. 1 Issue Date 12 November 2015 Report Number Document Reference 7879140169 A169-15-R2325 Author Dr. Genevieve Campbell Signature & 24 July 2015 Reviewer Dr. Christian Kunze Signature & 24 July 2015 Project Manager Approval Dr. Christian Kunze 12 November 2015 D ISCLAIMER This report was prepared exclusively for the client above by Amec Foster Wheeler Earth & Environmental (UK) Ltd. (Amec Foster Wheeler). The quality of information, conclusions and estimates contained herein are consistent with the level of effort involved in Amec Foster Wheeler’s services and based on: i) information available at the time of preparation, ii) data supplied by outside sources and iii) the assumptions, conditions and qualifications set forth in this report. This report is intended for use by the above client subject to the terms and conditions of its contract with Amec Foster Wheeler. Any other use of, or reliance on, this report by any third party is at that party’s sole risk. Project No.: 7879140169 Report Issue Form ESIA REPORT, YAOURE GOLD PROJECT APPENDIX 18 CRITICAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT JUNE 2015 E X E C U T I V E S UMMARY This Critical Habitat Assessment aimed at evaluating Critical Habitat qualifying features present in the Project area in order to determine if they trigger Critical Habitat according to IFC PS6. Critical Habitat is defined as an area harbouring high biodiversity value (IFC, 2012). This area needs to meet at least one or more of the five main criteria provided in Paragraph 16 of the IFC PS6: Habitat of significance for globally or nationally critically endangered or endangered species; Habitat of significance for endemic and/or restricted range species; Habitat of significance for migratory and/or congregatory species; Highly threatened and/or unique ecosystems; and Areas associated with key evolutionary processes. As the area where the Project will be developed has been highly degraded over the years, the habitat is considered ‘modified’ with no natural habitat remaining according to the definition given by the IFC. The unit of analysis used in this CHA was a discrete management unit (DMU), which amounted to a surface of 3,150 km2. A total of 14 species that could trigger critical habitat were recorded during biodiversity baseline surveys conducted between November 2014 and May 2015. The extent of occurrence of these species within the DMU was then compared to their global distribution range using thresholds provided by the IFC Performance Standards 6. The Critical Habitat Assessment revealed four species present in the Project area that triggered Critical Habitat, two fish species, one amphibian, and one plant species. Quantification of Critical Habitat extent and residual losses relating to the proposed mining activities need to be undertaken, and the Project needs to demonstrate a Net Positive Impact in Critical Habitat. Further recommendations are included in the BMP. The baseline biodiversity surveys conducted for the ESIA also allowed to extend the distribution range (according to their EOO on the IUCN Red List) of five species: two fish (Tilapia walteri NT and Tilapia busumana VU), one reptile (Hemidactylus fasciatus), one plant (Strychnos millepunctata VU) and one bird species (Bathmocercus cerviniventris NT). Project No.: 7879140169 Executive Summary I ESIA REPORT, YAOURE GOLD PROJECT APPENDIX 18 CRITICAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT JUNE 2015 C ONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Project background ............................................................................................. 1-1 1.2 Definition of Critical Habitat ................................................................................. 1-1 1.3 Purposes and Objectives .................................................................................... 1-2 2.0 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 2-3 2.1 Project Area and Unit of Analysis ....................................................................... 2-3 2.1.1 Project area ............................................................................................ 2-3 2.1.2 Unit of Analysis ...................................................................................... 2-4 2.2 Priority Biodiversity Features .............................................................................. 2-5 2.3 Critical Habitat Threshold Values ........................................................................ 2-7 3.0 CRITICAL HABITAT DETERMINATION .......................................................................... 3-9 3.1 Criterion 1: Globally or Nationally Critically Endangered or Endangered Species 3- 9 3.1.1 Fish ........................................................................................................ 3-9 3.1.2 Large mammals ................................................................................... 3-12 3.2 Criterion 2: Restricted-Range or Endemic Species .......................................... 3-15 3.2.1 Birds ..................................................................................................... 3-15 3.2.2 Amphibians and Reptiles ..................................................................... 3-16 3.2.3 Flora ..................................................................................................... 3-17 3.2.4 Fish ...................................................................................................... 3-18 3.3 Tentative New Species ..................................................................................... 3-25 3.4 Species Distribution Range Extension .............................................................. 3-26 4.0 CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS ............................................................................ 4-27 5.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 5-29 T ABLES Table 2-1: Priority species recorded during baseline biodiversity surveys that may trigger Critical Habitat according to Criteria 1-2 ..................................................................................... 2-6 Table 2-2: Quantitative thresholds for Tiers 1 and 2 of Critical Habitat Criteria 1 – 2 ......................... 2-7 Table 3-1: Current status of Hippopotamus amphibius VU in Côte d’Ivoire (Lewison & Oliver, 2008) .. 3- 12 Table 3-2: Endemic species that could trigger critical habitat ............................................................ 3-15 Table 3-3: Restricted range species that could trigger critical habitat ............................................... 3-15 Table 4-1: Summary of Critical Habitat Assessment for priority biodiversity features present in the Project area ................................................................................................................... 4-27 Project No.: 7879140169 Contents i ESIA REPORT, YAOURE GOLD PROJECT APPENDIX 18 CRITICAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT JUNE 2015 F IGURES Figure 2-1: Location of the Project area in Côte d’Ivoire ..................................................................... 2-3 Figure 2-2: DMU delimitated for the Critical Habitat Assessment........................................................ 2-5 Figure 3-1: Distribution range of Mormyrus subundulatus EN in Côte d’Ivoire .................................. 3-10 Figure 3-2: Locations of fish species recorded during biodiversity baseline surveys ........................ 3-11 Figure 3-3: Distribution range of Hippopotamus amphibius VU in Côte d’Ivoire ............................... 3-13 Figure 3-4: Locations of Hippopotamus amphibius VU signs of presence collected during biodiversity baseline surveys in the Project area ............................................................................. 3-14 Figure 3-5: Distribution range of Kassina schioetzi LC in Côte d’Ivoire ............................................. 3-17 Figure 3-6: Distribution range of Strychnos millepunctata VU in Côte d’Ivoire (range data from localities where specimens were collected and included in the Africa herbaria in Europe) .......................................................................................................................... 3-18 Figure 3-7: Distribution range of Tilapia busumana VU in Côte d’Ivoire ............................................ 3-19 Figure 3-8: Distribution range of Tilapia walteri NT in Côte d’Ivoire .................................................. 3-20 Figure 3-9: Distribution range of Marcusenius furcidens NT in Côte d’Ivoire .................................... 3-22 Figure 3-10: Distribution range of Synodontis bastiani LC in Côte d’Ivoire ....................................... 3-23 Figure 3-11: Distribution range of Synodontis punctifer LC in Côte d’Ivoire ...................................... 3-24 Figure 3-12: Record locations of Hyperolius sp. during herpetological surveys ................................ 3-26 Project No.: 7879140169 Contents ii ESIA REPORT, YAOURE