Methodology for Biological Impact Assessment.ppt

Biological EIA

1. CLE 1013
Environmental Impact Assessment
Mon: 3pm, Wed: 4pm
Instructor: Pulipati Sasanka Bhushan, PhD
Room: Silver Jubilee Tower 612 A04
Ph: 8985 590 432
Email: [email protected]

2. Prediction of impacts on bio
environment

3. Identification of Biological impacts
•Impacts on biological resources –habitats and species
•Loss and degradation of terrestrial environments –
eight classes of causes
–Land conversion to industrial and residential land use
–Land conversion to agricultural use
–Land conversion to transportation use
–Timbering practices
–Grazing practices
–Mining practices
–Water management practices
–Military, recreational and other activities

4. Degradation means – loss of ecological
values
•Animal and plant species
•Ecosystem structure (amount of biomass, community
composition, species richness, species diversity,
trophic organization, spatial structure)
•Ecosystem function (energy flow, nutrient cycling,
water retention)

5. Impacts of coal power plant
•Elimination / disturbance of terrestrial and/or
aquatic habitats
•Additions to air, water and soil of substances
that have the potential for acute or sub-lethal
effects on biota

6. Coal power plants – specific features
and impacts
•Coal slurry pipelines – disturbance/ removal of habitat
•Coal cleaning and coal storage – loss of habitat, addition of acidic
substances
•Limestone storage – loss of habitat, addition of alkaline runoff
•Particulate and gaseous emissions – SOx , PM emission, acid
precipitation
•Waste ash and flue-gas desulfurization sludge disposal – loss of
habitat, seepage of toxics, toxification of birds
–(Ecotoxicology – study of fate and effect of toxics in ecosystems)

7. Description of existing bio-
environment conditions
•Focus on habitat types, their geographical
distribution
•Identify certain selected species and species
descriptions for those selected species for each
community type
•Methods used:
–Species lists with qualitative descriptions
–Use of structured data presentations
–Use of HES, HEP and other habit-based methods
(Habitat evaluation system and Hab. Eval. Procedure)
–Use of energy system diagrams.

8. •Species lists
–GIS based inventory of species
•Lists with more prominent information
•Structured data – more detailed info than
species lists.
–Various types of classification (
–Ecoregions
•Plant and animal indicators, community
indicators, pollution indicators

11. HES and HEP
•Requires much information
•Development of numerical indices of habitat
quality
•Mainly in large scale projects

12. Energy system diagram
•Identify all of the processes of energy flow
within a system and to develop information
on the rates of energy transfer
•Costly method

13. Other present conditions
•Identification of management practices
•Discussion of natural succession
•Identification of endangered or threatened
species
•Consideration of wetlands – a special habitat

14. Impact Prediction
•Quantify wherever possible
•Changes in land use or habitat and associated
implications of those on biological system
•Methods
–Qualitative
–Habitat based methods
–Ecosystem methods
–Use of physical models or simulations

15. Qualitative approach
•List of 52 potential effects
•Evaluate –
–Likelihood of impact
–Duration of impact – short term or long term
–Reversibility of impacts
–Relative resiliency of individual plant or animal
species
–Potential mitigation measures

17. Habitat based methods
•Predict changes in acreage and changes in
several habitat parameters.
•Difficult to accurately predict

18. Physical modelling
•Mathematical and physical models
–Bioassays, microcosms

19. Impact significance
•Use the laws and guidelines
•Use professional interpretation
–Role of individual species in food-web relationship
–Analysis of carrying capacity of biological setting
–Evaluation of resiliency of plant and animal species
–Evaluation of implication of project relative to
species diversity
–Consideration of natural succession and disruptions
due to project

20. Mitigation measures
•There are standard mitigation measures
•Avoidance, minimization, rectification,
preservation, compensation

21. List of Critically Endangered
Species of India
•http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=
75538
•The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species