IFC’s Performance Standard 6: Expectations for a good ...

IFC’s Performance Standard 6: Expectations for a good baseline and

adequate metrics for hydropower projects

Presentation for Nepal workshop on Good International Industry Practices for Aquatic Biodiversity

Baseline Determination and Monitoring Protocols

Leeanne E. Alonso, PhDBiodiversity Consultant to IFC

April 2016

IFC Performance Standards2012

PS1: Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts

PS2: Labor and Working ConditionsPS3: Resource Efficiency and Pollution PreventionPS4: Community Health, Safety and SecurityPS5: Land Acquisition and Involuntary ResettlementsPS6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable

Management of Living Natural ResourcesPS7: Indigenous PeoplesPS8: Cultural Heritage

IFC’s Performance Standard 6 (PS6):Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable

Management of Living Natural Resources

Objectives• To protect and conserve biodiversity• To maintain the benefits of ecosystem services• To promote the sustainable management of living natural resources

through the adoption of practices that integrate needs and development priorities

Aquatic Biodiversity

In the water:Aquatic PlantsFishesInvertebrates

-shrimp, crabs, molluscs-insects

PlanktonChlorophyl A

Along the water:Riparian plantsAquatic mammalsAmphibiansReptilesBirdsInvertebrates

Need good Aquatic Biodiversity data for PS6 to:

• Determine Modified or Natural Habitat– Biodiversity values (species composition)– Ecological functions

• Determine Critical Habitat• Assess project Impacts on Priority Biodiversity Values• Evaluate Environmental Flow Options (Impacts and Mitigation)• Develop Mitigation Actions to reduce impacts• Monitor indicators to demonstrate compliance with PS6

First - Determine the Study AreaImportant PS6 requirement-

beyond project footprint

PS6 requires that the assessment of biodiversity values be conducted beyond the project footprint to include the surrounding area on an ecologically relevant scale.

The study area should include biological communities and/or management issues that have more in common with those in the project footprint and with each other than they do with those in adjacent areas.

Start with satellite imagery, vegetation maps and literature.

For Hydropower projects, this means usually means Watershed

SanagaRiver:

Example watershed

In Cameroon

Example Ecological Study Area for Watershed

Example Terrestrial Ecological Study Area

Modified or Natural Habitat

Modified Habitat: areas with a large proportion of plant and/or animal species of non-native origin, and/or where human activity has modified an area’s ecological functions and species composition

Natural Habitat: areas with viable assemblages of plant and/or animals species of largely native origin, and/or with little modification of ecological functions and species composition

PS6: Modified and Natural Habitat

• Modified Habitat: areas with a large proportion of plant and/or animal species of non-native origin, and/or where human activity has modified an area’s ecological functions and species composition

• Natural Habitat: areas with viable assemblages of plant and/or animals species of largely native origin, and/or with little modification of ecological functions and species composition

How much do dams create Modified Habitat?

Natural Habitat: areas with viable assemblages of plant and/or animals species of largely native origin, and/or with little modification of ecological functions and species composition

In Natural Habitat

Project cannot convert or degrade Natural Habitat unless they demonstrate all the following:

• No other viable alternatives within region exist for development of the project on modified habitat (Alternatives Analysis)

• Consultation of views of stakeholders • Any conversion or degradation is mitigated

according to the mitigation hierarchy

Projects must achieve and demonstrate No Net Loss (NNL) of Biodiversity where feasible

NNL= No change from the pre-project baseline

Species Composition

In the water:Aquatic PlantsFishesInvertebrates

-shrimp, crabs, molluscs-insects

PlanktonChlorophyl A

Along the water:Riparian plantsAquatic mammalsAmphibiansReptilesBirds

Sampling methods for fish and invertebrates

Ecology of the Biodiversity Values: Species and Habitats

Which species migrate?Patterns and timingSeasonality

Where do species live, breed, feed, grow?

What is the abundance of species?How important is this area for them?

What are their life cycles?

Abundance of food sources

Associated Data:Flow rate, depth, turbidity, etc.Water quality parametersSediment regimesFlooding regimes

Ecosystem Services:How do people use the water, the plants, animals, etc. (e.g. rafting, fishing)

IFC Hydro projects conducted monthly fish and invertebrate samplingto assess distribution and seasonality, and to identify spawning andnursery habitats

Sampling in different seasons is important- high water, low water, rainy and dry seasons

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Tor putitora (Mahaseer)

Cast Nets capture small fishHow to sample the large migrating fishes?

Aquatic Biodiversity Data

Must include:1) Pre-project aquatic biodiversity baseline

– Species lists– Map of aquatic habitat types (pools, riffles, channel, seasonally

flooded areas, etc.)– Identification of threatened species – Assessment of regional/global importance– Relative abundance– Ecological requirements for species

2) Patterns of migration3) Spawning and nursery areas for fish4) Water quality index (aquatic invertebrates)

Priority Biodiversity ValuesSpecies• Threatened species (IUCN or Nepal CR, EN, VU)• Endemic species • Restricted Range species• Commercial species• Culturally valuable species• Species important for local peopleHabitats• Unique habitats• Habitats with high biodiversity or unique species• Pristine ecosystems• Nursery or spawning areas (e.g. fishes)Processes• Migrations (upstream, lateral)• Ecological Connectivity• Gene Flow

Some Priority Aquatic Biodiversity Values in NepalFive fish species of conservation interest, all are migratory:

MahaseerTor putitora, IUCN and Nepal Endangered

SaharTor tor, IUCN Near Threatened, Nepal Endangered

Snow trout (Buche asla) Schizothorax richardsonii, IUCN Vulnerable (VU) and Nepal VU

Snow trout (Chuche asla) Schizothoraichthys progastus, IUCN Least Concern, Nepal VU

KatliNeolissichilis hexagonolepis, IUCN Near Threatened and Nepal Endangered

PS6: Critical Habitat

Evaluate whether the project is located within Critical Habitat as defined by PS6, working with relevant experts

Modified and Natural habitat may also be Critical Habitat, depending on the biodiversity

values

Critical Habitat: areas with high biodiversity value based on 5 Criteria:

• Critically Endangered (CR) or Endangered (EN) species(IUCN Global Red List)

• Endemic / restricted range species

• Migratory and/or congregatory species with globally significant concentrations

• Highly threatened (in the region) and/or regionally unique ecosystems

• Key evolutionary processes

In Critical Habitat, client cannot implement any project activities unless:

• No other viable alternatives within the region exist in non-critical habitat (PS1: Alternatives Analysis)

• The project does not lead to measurable adverse impacts on the biodiversity values that make it Critical Habitat

• The project does not lead to a net reduction in the global and/or national/regional population of any CR or EN species

• A robust long-term biodiversity monitoring and evaluation plan is integrated into management plans

• Experts are involved to evaluate the biodiversity values and to design mitigation and offsets as needed

Project must demonstrate Net Gain for Critical Habitat biodiversity values

Net Gain = improvement for the biodiversity values, increase

It may not be Critical Habitat

But remember…

• Natural Habitat requires No Net Loss of Biodiversity • Demonstrating No Net Loss of Biodiversity for

Important Biodiversity Values is a big challenge

Hydropower

Principal Impacts from Hydropower Projects

Terrestrial habitat loss under reservoir

Reservoir: Loss of River habitat, Gain of Lake Habitat

Loss of aquatic habitat within project area and downstream

Barrier to fish, mammal and invertebrate passage and migration

Changes in water levels, flow rate and timing, flooding regimesbetween dam and powerhouse (dewatered segment) and downstream – changes to habitats

Impact Assessment- need a good baseline to:

• Quantify hectares of Natural Habitat loss (Terrestrial and Aquatic)

• Assess Quantitative or Qualitative impacts to each of the Priority Biodiversity Values– Assess separately by impact (e.g. reservoir, downstream

flow, etc.) – Assess by project stage (construction, operation)– Need to assess how much we are losing in order to set

targets for No Net Loss or Net Gain• Develop an Environmental Flow Assessment

Impact Assessment – Operation, Karot Hydro Pakistan

Environmental Flow Assessment

• Modeling impacts based on hydrology, biological and social parameters

• Use hydrological data and select ecologically-relevant flow indicators

• Evaluates the present day condition river• Evaluates how the condition of the river could

change under different HPP operational scenarios

Hydrological/Hydraulic Methods

Methodologies to Determine Ecological Flow (EF)

Habitat Simulation / Holistic Methods

1960’s

Present

Example Baseline data for Eflow AssessmentDiscipline Indicators

Suspended sedimentsCoarse suspended sediment

Area of backwaters and secondary channels

Fine suspended sediment Vegetated mid-channel bars

GeomorphologyLow mid-channel rock exposures Depth of poolsLengths of cut marginal banks Sand barsBed sediment size (fine to coarse)

Water quality Nutrient concentration Temperature

VegetationDiatoms and algae TreesBryophyta Organic detritusGrasses and shrubs

Macroinvertebrates

Ephemeroptera ChironomidaeBivalves ShrimpsOligoneuridae Ceratopogonidae

Simulidae

Fish

Tigerfish, Hydrocynus vittatus Chessa and Nkupe, Distichodus sppCornish jack, Mormyrops anguilloides Labeo altivelisRedeye labeo, Labeo cylindricus Barbus spp.Alestids, i.e. Brycinus imberi, B. lateralisand Micralestes acutidens

Vundu, Heterobranchus longifilis

Cichlids Squeaker, Synodontis zambezensisCrocodiles Nile Crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus

Source: Cate Brown

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EphemeropteraTrychopteraPlecopteraDipteraMacroinvertebrados

Preference Curves for aquatic organisms

The mitigation hierarchy is a tool to help manage risk. It provides a framework for steps to be taken throughout a development project’s life-cycle to limit negative impacts to workers, affected communities, and the environment.

1. Avoid Impacts2. Minimize impacts3. Restore conditions (abate, rectify, repair)4. Where residual impacts remain Offset impacts

PS6 requires projects to apply the Mitigation Hierarchy

Mitigation Hierarchy

Net gain

Mitigation- need a good baselineA combination of the following measures is best: • Avoid through careful dam siting, design and operation• Minimise upstream/downstream effects with appropriate

Environmental Flows, fish passages (ladders etc.)• Restore through improved species, habitat or catchment

management, fish hatcheries • Offset residual impacts through off-site action

Monitoring• Field methods for monitoring are often different than

those for baseline assessment:– Baseline requires a variety of methods to document as

much biodiversity as possible, specialists needed– Monitoring requires standardized methods that can be

repeated over time, often by non-specialists– Monitoring data must be compared over time

• Monitoring requires focused questions and specific metrics to determine: – Is the project achieving No Net Loss or Net Gain?– Are the mitigation actions working to reduce impacts on

the indicators?

• Select indicators to represent overall biodiversity– Should include all Priority Biodiversity Values

Metrics to demonstrate No Net Loss of Biodiversity or Net Gain

• Example metric for Mahaseer (Tor putitora):– #fish/100 cast net throws/unit area = Catch per Effort

(CUE)– Biomass (weight)/100 cast net throws/unit area– Compare this metric each year to pre-project baseline to

demonstrate No Net Loss (targets, thresholds)– Net Gain requires demonstrating increase in the metric

• Other metrics: – Area of aquatic habitat (hectares)- satellite imagery– Water quality indices– Habitat Quality indices– Pressure indicators: reduction in threats to the species

(e.g. reduction in fishing pressure)

Summary:Hydropower projects need good Aquatic

Biodiversity data for PS6 to:

• Determine Modified or Natural Habitat– Biodiversity values (species composition, habitats)– Ecological functions (migration, spawning, etc.)

• Determine Critical Habitat• Assess project Impacts on Biodiversity Values• Evaluate Environmental Flow options• Develop Mitigation Actions to reduce impacts

(Biodiversity Management or Action Plan)• Monitor indicators to demonstrate compliance with PS6:

No Net Loss or Net Gain of Biodiversity

Thank You!