Terrestrial vertebrate fauna surveys for the preparation of environmental impact assessments; how can we do it better? A Western Australian example

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham G. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Vertebrate Fauna ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrate ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Western Australian

A comparison of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) vertebrate fauna survey with a post-approval fauna salvage program: consequences of not adhering to EIA survey guidelines, a Western Australian example

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 412
Author(s):  
Graham G. Thompson ◽  
Scott A. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Vertebrate Fauna ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrate ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Comparison Of The Results ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
Protection Authority

The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has issued written guidance on its expectations for terrestrial vertebrate fauna surveys to support environmental impact assessments (EIA). We report on one of the few circumstances where a direct comparison of the results from an EIA vertebrate fauna survey, that did not, in our opinion, appear to conform with the EPA’s guidance statement expectations but was seemingly accepted by the EPA, and a comprehensive terrestrial vertebrate fauna salvage program were undertaken at the same site. This has enabled us to comment on the consequences of not undertaking a survey that complies with the EPA’s expectations. Excluding incursions by non-local species, bats and avian fauna, ~33% of terrestrial vertebrate fauna species recorded during the fauna salvage program were not reported as being present in the EIA survey. The relative abundance of various species differed appreciably between the fauna salvage program and the EIA survey, and an endangered species present in the project area was not identified as likely to occur. We believe these differences occurred because of a single-season EIA survey, insufficient trapping effort, a failure to survey an important fauna habitat, the presumption that a threatened species would be absent due to a lack of local records and records in the available habitat types. A comprehensive review and rewrite of the outdated Western Australian EPA vertebrate fauna survey guidelines and a requirement for proponents and environmental practitioners to meet (or exceed) the revised guidelines are the recommended outcomes.

Diversity and abundance of pit-trapped reptiles in Australian arid and mesic habitats: Biodiversity for Environmental Impact Assessments

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham G. Thompson ◽  
Scott A. Thompson ◽  
Philip C. Withers ◽  
Eric R. Pianka
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Vegetation Zones ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
Protection Authority ◽  
Genetic Species ◽  
Semi Arid

Based on pit-trapping data for reptile assemblages from mesic, semi-arid and arid Australian sites, we examined species richness, diversity and evenness for general patterns. Reptile assemblages in Australian arid and semi-arid areas are generally species rich, have a high diversity, and have a high proportion of species that are rarely caught. Skinks are generally the most abundant taxa, followed by geckos and agamids. Varanids, elapid and blind snakes are less frequently caught, and pygopods are seldom caught in pit-trapping programmes. However, there was considerable variability in the pattern of reptile assemblages across the Australian arid and semi-arid landscape, and even among closely located sites within the same soil and vegetation zones. A high proportion of arid and semi-arid reptile species are rarely caught in pit-traps. Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority's current requirements for assessing the effects of a potential disturbance, which are based on desktop study and small-scale field survey, are inadequate to describe biodiversity at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels, and also in terms of ecosystem function. If the Environmental Protection Authority considers rare species are an important component of the biodiversity of an area, then a greater level of trapping is required for the preparation of an environmental impact assessment than is generally occurring at present.

scholarly journals Novel Application and Validation of a Method to Assess Visual Impacts of Rotating Wind Turbine Blades Within Woodland Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
U. Nopp-Mayr ◽  
F. Kunz ◽  
F. Suppan ◽  
E. Schöll ◽  
J. Coppes
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Wind Turbine Blades ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Independent Field

AbstractIncreasing numbers of wind power plants (WPP) are constructed across the globe to reduce the anthropogenic contribution to global warming. There are, however, concerns on the effects of WPP on human health as well as related effects on wildlife. To address potential effects of WPP in environmental impact assessments, existing models accounting for shadow flickering and noise are widely applied. However, a standardized, yet simple and widely applicable proxy for the visibility of rotating wind turbines in woodland areas was largely lacking up to date. We combined land cover information of forest canopy extracted from orthophotos and airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) data to represent the visibility of rotating wind turbines in five woodland study sites with a high spatial resolution. Performing an in-situ validation in five study areas across Europe which resulted in a unique sample of 1738 independent field observations, we show that our approach adequately predicts from where rotating wind turbine blades are visible within woodlands or not. We thus provide strong evidence, that our approach yields a valuable proxy of the visibility of moving rotor blades with high resolution which in turn can be applied in environmental impact assessments of WPP within woodlands worldwide.

scholarly journals Recycled text and risk communication in natural gas pipeline environmental impact assessments

Energy Policy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
pp. 112379
Author(s):  
Jacob D. Hileman ◽  
Mario Angst ◽  
Tyler A. Scott ◽  
Emma Sundström
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
Natural Gas Pipeline ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments

Using Relict Species–Area Relationships to Estimate the Conservation Value of Reservoir Islands to Improve Environmental Impact Assessments of Dams

2021 ◽  
pp. 417-437
Author(s):  
Isabel L. Jones ◽  
Anderson Saldanha Bueno ◽  
Maíra Benchimol ◽  
Ana Filipa Palmeirim ◽  
Danielle Storck-Tonon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Relict Species ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Species Area

scholarly journals Dialogues between social and natural sciences: contribution to the debate on socio-environmental conflicts

2015 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 2335-2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Milanez
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Environmental Conflicts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mining Projects ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Strong Candidate ◽  
Social Environmental

ABSTRACT In this article, I argue that attempting to solve real problems is a possible approach to bring social and natural sciences together, and suggest that - as Environmental Impact Assessment necessarily brings together social and environmental issues - this debate is a strong candidate for such a task. The argument is based on a general discussion about the possibilities and limitations of Environmental Impact Assessments, the social-environmental impacts of mining activities and three case studies. The analysis of the cases indicates possibilities and limitations of the dialogue between scientists from various areas - and of the collaboration with social movements and affected communities - in avoiding negative impacts of mining projects and, eventually, increasing their sustainability.

Assessing 30 Years of Neoliberal Environmental Management in Chile

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javiera Barandiarán
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Mutual Accountability

Neoliberal environmental policies operate through markets, including for carbon, water, ecosystem services, or—as in contemporary Chile—for environmental scientific knowledge. Chile illustrates how markets for science operate, such as for monitoring data or environmental impact assessments, and their negative impacts on public trust in science and on the state’s regulatory efforts. In a society governed by a market for science, environmental scientists cannot escape the suspicion that conflicts of interest compromise their independence and the credibility of their work. Chile’s neoliberal 1980 Constitution sustains this market for knowledge but will be reformed following national demonstrations in 2019. The health of Chile’s environment depends on a new constitution that democratizes both democracy and science. Rights of nature doctrines, as in Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution, can provide the constitutional foundation for strong mutual accountability between science, the state, society, and nature.

Ecological values of intermittent rivers for terrestrial vertebrate fauna

2021 ◽  
pp. 151308
Author(s):  
María Mar Sánchez-Montoya ◽  
Rosa Gómez ◽  
Jose F. Calvo ◽  
Tomáš Bartonička ◽  
Thibault Datry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vertebrate Fauna ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrate ◽  
Intermittent Rivers ◽  
Ecological Values
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