Environmental Assessment
Volume C-4.4
Slurry Pipeline
Natural Habitats and Biodiversity
Ambatovy Project
155
January 2006
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reclamation using native species in designated areas;
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rapid establishment of prescribed vegetation cover following pipeline
installation; and
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conducting a survey of the pipeline route just prior to construction to
help fine-tune the route and minimize impacts on flora, fauna and
aquatic resources.
Analyses in this section focus on the LSA. Overall combined project impacts,
including the positive benefits of biodiversity offsets, are considered in
Volume G, Section 3.4.
Results
Construction of the pipeline and associated infrastructure is expected to alter
small areas of transitional forest, and primary and degraded forest in the
Mantadia-Zahamena corridor, and natural wetlands in the Toamasina study area
(Table 4.4-6). However, less than 4% of these habitats in the pipeline LSA will
be lost due to the project and further route fine tuning could reduce this amount
further. No azonal forest in the Mantadia-Zahamena corridor or marsh edge
forest associated with the Torotorofotsy will be altered.
Other degraded habitats that support fewer species will be also marginally
altered. For example, the area of woodlots and plantations will decrease by 5%,
while there will be a 0.9% decrease in coastal shrub / woodland and a 2.6%
decrease in tavy matrix. Although habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively
influence populations and communities (see Volume B, Section 4.4 for full
discussion), the amount of disturbance to the landscape from the pipeline and
associated infrastructure is anticipated to be marginal. Small changes in habitat
areas should be correlated with little change in mean patch size, connectivity and
edge. As a result, the project is not expected to generate measurable effects on
biodiversity indicators relative to baseline conditions.
Residual Impacts
Despite mitigation, activities related to the slurry pipeline will result in small
negative changes to natural habitats and biodiversity. Although baseline
information determined that the slurry pipeline LSA is currently 94% disturbed, a
portion of the project will influence primary and degraded forest in the Mantadia-
Zahamena corridor, and natural wetlands in the Toamasina area.
Analysis indicated that the fraction of suitable habitat expected to be lost due to
the project footprint is 1.6% (23 ha) of primary forest, 3.3% (5 ha) of transitional
forest, 3.5% (54 ha) of degraded primary forest, and 1.1% (5 ha) of wetlands. As
