Appendix 16 Census of Reptiles and Amphibian Communities Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Yaoure Gold Project, Côte d’Ivoire Submitted to Amara Mining Côte d’Ivoire SARL Submitted By Johannes Penner & LeGrand Nono Gonwouo APPENDIX 16 HERPETOLOGY REPORT ESIA REPORT, YAOURE GOLD PROJECT JUNE 2015 R E P O R T I S S U E F ORM Client Name Amara Mining Côte d’Ivoire SARL Yaoure Gold Project Environmental and Social Impact Project Name Assessment Census of Reptiles and Amphibian Communities at the Yaoure Report Title Gold Project, Côte d’Ivoire Document Status Final Issue No. 1 Issue Date 12 November 2015 Report Number Document Reference 7879140169 A169-15-R2354 Johannes Penner & LeGrand Author Nono Gonwouo Signature & Date Reviewer Genevieve Campbell Signature & Date Project Manager Approval 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 APPENDIX 16 HERPETOLOGY REPORT ESIA REPORT, YAOURE GOLD PROJECT JUNE 2015 E X E C U T I V E S UMMARY Background - The following report summarises the rapid assessment conducted within the Yaoure Gold Project concession to gather baseline data for reptiles and amphibians. The survey took place from the 1st to the 21st of May 2015 and was commissioned by Amec Foster Wheeler Earth & Environmental UK Ltd for Amara Mining Côte d’Ivoire SARL. In total, 35 species of reptiles and 29 species of amphibians were recorded. Methods - Reptiles and amphibians were searched via visual and acoustic encounter surveys in suitable habitats. Trapping with drift fences and funnel traps at two sites supplemented the records. Complementary information was gathered through interviews, especially to assess crocodile presence in the area. Main findings - No regional or national Red Lists are publicly available. None of the recorded species are currently listed as threatened by the global IUCN Red List. Nine species of reptiles are of conservation concern because they are either regularly harvested (Bitis arietans, Bitis rhinoceros, Pelusios castaneus, Chamaeleo gracilis, Python sebae, Python regius, Varanus niloticus; the last four species are listed in CITES Appendix II) or have restricted ranges (Hemidactylus fasciatus, Hemidactylus cf. muriceus). The latter two species are also indicators for forests. Three species of amphibians are also of conservation concern due to their restricted ranges (Afrixalus vittiger, Hyperolius igbettensis, Kassina schioetzi). Four specimens of reed frogs (Family Hyperoliidae: Hyperolius sp.) cannot be assigned to any known species yet. Further research is needed to verify whether they might be a new species. Overall, the concession contains a diverse herpetofauna because it is located at the transition zone between the biomes forest and savannah. A number of species of reptiles (n=39) and amphibians (n=18) were not recorded during the present survey but are known from this region of Côte d’Ivoire. The absence of larger patches of good humid forests from the study area might be the main explanation for the absence of many forest dependent species. Impacts - Artisanal and industrial mining activities have been on-going throughout the concession for several years and have significantly altered the vegetation and landscape so that many species are confined to the remaining natural small forest or savannah patches. Thus the site is already impacted but a further increase in habitat degradation is expected with further developments. The main recommendation is to raise awareness on the importance of biodiversity at the mine site but also in the area in general as well as to start coherent environmental and offset planning as soon as possible. Project No.: 7879140169 Executive Summary I APPENDIX 16 HERPETOLOGY REPORT ESIA REPORT, YAOURE GOLD PROJECT JUNE 2015 C ONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose of the Study...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Desktop Findings ........................................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Previous Studies ............................................................................................... 2 1.2.2 Regional and International Importance ............................................................. 2 1.3 Legal Requirements ....................................................................................................... 2 2.0 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 3 2.1 Study Topic .................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Study Area and Survey Period ....................................................................................... 3 2.3 Sampling Methodology ................................................................................................ 10 2.4 Analyses ....................................................................................................................... 11 3.0 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................. 12 3.1 Reptiles ........................................................................................................................ 12 3.1.1 Reptiles of Conservation Concern .................................................................. 15 3.2 Amphibians .................................................................................................................. 18 3.2.1 Amphibians of Conservation Concern ............................................................ 21 3.3 Areas of Conservation Concern ................................................................................... 25 3.4 Comparison to other assemblages .............................................................................. 25 3.5 Sampling effort and timing of survey ............................................................................ 26 3.6 Ecosystem services ..................................................................................................... 28 3.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 29 4.0 IMPACT ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................... 30 4.1 Impact Description ....................................................................................................... 30 4.2 Impact Assessment ...................................................................................................... 31 4.2.1 Direct habitat loss............................................................................................ 33 4.2.2 Indirect habitat loss ......................................................................................... 34 4.2.3 Increased bush meat demand ........................................................................ 35 4.2.4 Accidental deaths of amphibians and reptiles ................................................ 36 4.2.5 Risk of snake bites .......................................................................................... 37 4.3 Important Issues ........................................................................................................... 37 5.0 MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS ......................................................... 38 5.1 Impact Mitigating and Management Requirements ..................................................... 38 5.2 Monitoring Requirements ............................................................................................. 39 6.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 40 6.1 Gap Analysis ................................................................................................................ 40 6.2 Offsetting ...................................................................................................................... 41 6.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 41 7.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... 43 8.0 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 44 T ABLES Table 3.1 List of reptile species ............................................................................................................. 12 Table 3.2 List of amphibian species