Environmental Assessment
Volume B-4.2
Mine
Fauna
Ambatovy Project
234
January 2006
4.2.4.4 Key Question W-3 What Effect Will the Project Have on
Faunal Health?
Potential Impact Pathways
The potential impacts of the Ambatovy Project on faunal health were
qualitatively evaluated through the following two linkages:
•
changes in air quality and faunal health; and
•
changes in water quality and faunal health.
Air Quality
Uptake of air contaminants via inhalation is typically considered to be minor for
fauna compared to uptake of contaminants via the food chain. Amphibians can
also be exposed to airborne contaminants through the skin and through changes
in aquatic environments. Emissions from diesel-fired generators and mine fleet
vehicles will release contaminants which are predominantly airborne oxides of
sulphur, oxides of nitrogen and particulates into the environment.
Water Quality
Increased concentrations of compounds or elements can have sub-lethal to toxic
effects in fauna, directly and indirectly through ingestion of plants or prey
(USEPA 2005).
Assessment Methods
Air Quality
Little information is available on the effects of airborne contaminants on fauna in
all habitat types (WHO 2000) and no World Health Organization (WHO)
guidelines for airborne contaminants are available for terrestrial fauna.
Therefore, WHO guidelines for vegetation were used in the fauna assessment
because there is a direct link to fauna through habitat. Potential impacts are
discussed qualitatively.
Dispersion of nitrogen oxides (NO
X
) and sulphur dioxide (SO
2
) were spatially
modelled for the mine site based on emissions derived from diesel-fired
generators and mine fleet vehicles (Volume B, Section 3.4). Isopleths related to
the maximum predicted levels for NO
X
and SO
2
were overlain on habitat maps to
determine the areal extent across each habitat type. The minimum annual NO
X
concentration guideline for vegetation is 30 micrograms/m
3
(WHO 2000). The
