Rapid Assessment of Habitat Availability and Wildlife Use in the Proposed Human River Project, MaharashtraState. WII-EIA Technical Report 27. (2003).


back

Review by Dr J R Treweek, Technical Program Manager, CBBIA.

The report presents information about the proposed Human River Project, and summarises the results of a rapid assessment of wildlife habitats and use in the area affected.

Failure to carry out comprehensive ecological studies to support EIA, even for major infrastructure projects, means that ecological impacts are rarely quantified and proposed mitigation measures are often ‘cosmetic’ in nature. The fact that additional ecological studies were commissioned for the proposed Human River Project is a very positive move.

The report sets out very clearly the nature of the proposed project and the types of environmental and ecological impact that would be expected (page 2). These impacts are followed up later in the report, to different levels of detail. Those impact categories that were addressed in detail have been considered very thoroughly. A clear rationale is provided for the study area and also for the survey techniques used for different target taxa. Baseline information was collected efficiently and the results are well presented. Careful consideration has been given to landscape scale impacts on habitat availability and the ability of larger mammals to move through the landscape to reach food and water supplies. This analysis has been quantified as far as possible and presents a good example of how impacts on habitat availability should be assessed.

Given constraints of time and funding it appears that it was not possible to address others to the same level of detail: notably risks of soil erosion and issues relating to reduction of downstream flows. Without direct knowledge of the study area it is not clear whether these would be significant aspects in this case or not. Other aspects which might merit more detailed consideration are the extent to which the project might affect the overall biodiversity of the area, even though the habitats represented do not support particularly rare or threatened species. It would also be useful to consider the ability of species to re-locate from affected areas and also to analyse in more detail the possible impacts of relocated settlements on wildlife in those areas.

The report presents innovative and effective mitigation recommendations which are based on experience of similar impacts elsewhere and which would do a great deal to offset the negative effects of the proposal on wildlife. The investigators and their team have done an excellent job in seeking practical and effective solutions which are clearly based on the results of thorough research.

Technical Programme Manager Jo Treweek jo@treweek.fsnet.co.uk
Chancery Cottage, Kentisbeare, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 2DS, UK
+44 1884 266798 (ph) +44 1884 266711 (fax)