June, 2011

Environmental Impact Assessment Manifest:
Document for decision making or
accompaniment of a project?
Norma Fernández-Buces y Sergio López-Noriega
Environmental Consultants, Mexico
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Some regulatory background
Environmental
legislation :
Federal
State
Municipal
levels of government.
All infrastructure projects are required to apply for and obtain:
Environmental impact authorization and a land use permit.
Environmental Impact
Manifest (EIM)
Document deals with: the impacts of construction and operation, the
environmental mitigation, control and compensation measures to the satisfaction
of authorities having environmental jurisdiction.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Situation
E.I.M
efficient procedure for evaluating and authorizing a project
Points out:
• detailed project properties,
• landscape features,
• Estimated construction and operational impacts,
• proposed mitigation and compensation measures
EIM for infrastructure projects in Mexico :
Considers project design in its final stages
little or almost none modification
will be technically or economically
accepted by promoter.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Problem – Consequences
Under the actual procedure, projects are “forced” into the environment
seeking that most of its impacts can be reduced or restored, but little is
done to AVOID such damage by selecting best environmental options for
project location and attributes.
EIM
demands detailed
project information
only available when project is
ready to be constructed
EIA is being used as a decision aiding tool,
rather than decision making tool for a YES/NO
of a project
SCOPING
SCREENING
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
It should be also used as a project definition
and designing tool, as well.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Results
Successful Experiences:
Secretariat of Communications and
Transportation in Mexico (SCT)
• Case 1: Route selection of highway “Guadalajara-Colima”, section:
Atenquique – Tonilá, Colima, Mexico.
• Case 2: Route selection of highway “Compostela – Puerto Vallarta”,
Nayarit, Mexico.
• Case 3: Modification of a bridge project design to cope with the
flood plain of the Ameca’s river in Nayarit and Jalisco.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Case 1:
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Case 1:
Route selection of highway Guadalajara-Colima
Section: Atenquique – Tonilá, Colima, Mexico.
Aim: Search for the road alternative which will imply less environmental
problems and therefore, a faster response by the environmental authorities.
EIM included:
• An environmental
feasibility analysis
(a GIS and multivariate
statistics based study).
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
METHOD
Decision making base: Site quality map
A. Environmental system delimitation
(regionalization);
SITE QUIALITY MATRIX
B. Identification of 89 landscape units (GIS,
Quick bird).
C. Indicative variables qualified 1-6 on each
l.u. (field/desk; standardized criteria).
D. PCA of Site quality matrix for variable
reduction and variance estimation.
E. Cluster analysis to define 7 multivariate
quality classes; a site quality map of 89 l.u.
F. Best route options were those crossing
larger surfaces of low site quality (GIS)
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
1. coverture,
2. dominant successional stage,
3. vertical and horizontal
structure of vegetation,
4. diversity,
5. number of species under law
protection,
6. habitat quality for food and
reproduction,
7. soil depth,
8. type of soil
9. Soil structure,
10. erosion,
11. presence of human
productive activities or
infrastructure,
12. presence of other roads
June, 2011
LANDSCAPE UNITS
DEFINITION OF STUDY SITE AND LANDSCAPE UNITS
Species reported Observed species/total
for the state of
species reported for
Jalisco
Jalisco (%)
5
56
Observed
species
Species protected
by NOM-059
Amphibians
3
1
Reptiles
6
2
143
4
Birds
53
Soils 3
438
12
Mammals
8
0
70
6
Group
Hidrology
Total
Geology
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
5
Vegetation and
Land Use 9
810
June, 2011
Fauna
173
LANDSCAPE UNITS
Other Aspects
89 LANDSCAPE UNITS
Protected Areas
Altern 1
Altern 2
Altern 3
Altern 4
Altern 5
Altern 6
Altern 7
Altern 8
ANP (Volcán Nevado de
11.49 km 10.80 km 10.38 km 9.50 km
9.5 km
9.5 km
9.5 km
9.5 km
Colima)
El Platanar
RTP (Manantlán-Nevado de
9.70 km
9.42 kmthe 8.49 km
7.7
7.4
7.4
7.4
7.4
Population
opposing
Colima)
project
RHP (Chapala-Cajititlán15.83 km 15.57 km 15.24 km 14.50 km 13.20 km 13.20 km 13.20 km 13.20 km
Sayula)
AICA (Nevado de ColimA)
13.56 km
12.42 km
11.81 km
12.70 km
11.50 km
11.50 km
11.50 km
11.50 km
Ecological Ordinance of Jalisco
Protected Areas
Socio economical trends
Project opposition
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
LANDSCAPE UNITS
MAP
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
June, 2011
Integral Multivariate Site Quality
Index
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
MULTIVARIATE STATISTICS
Integrated Site quality map
2.00000
PCA
REGR factor score 1 for analysis 4
1.00000
0.00000
First 3 Components = 92.149% variance
-1.00000
-4.00000
-2.00000
-4.00000
0.00000
-2.00000
REGR fact
or score
0.00000
2 for analysi
s4
2.00000
2.00000
4.00000
3 for
ore
or sc
R fact
4.00000
is 4
analys
REG
% of variance
Cumulative %
of variance
accounted for
Factor 1
75.927
Factor 2
8.288
Factor 3
5.181
Factor 4
2.753
Factor 5
2.452
84.215%
89.396%
92.149%
94.601%
CLUSTER ANALISYS
Non hierarchical Clustering of landscape polygons helped group
landscape units within 7 integrated Site quality classes
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
ROUTE SELECTION
Site quality
Very Low
Alt. 12
Sup. (ha)
44.40
Low
Alt.1
Sup. (ha)
Alt. 11
Sup. (ha)
Alt. 3
Sup. (ha)
Alt. 5
Sup. (ha)
Alt. 6
Sup. (ha)
Alt. 13
Sup. (ha)
Alt. 14
Sup. (ha)
Alt. 15
Sup. (ha)
48.56
45.22
29.45
39.20
36.03
34.62
34.46
36.59
14.33
24.86
45.81
46.57
44.72
45.50
45.27
44.01
Moderate
1.35
Medium
MediumHigh
54.68
44.48
29.60
7.46
6.59
7.35
6.49
7.10
6.79
17.46
7.58
11.42
11.13
10.34
11.53
10.89
10.84
11.21
117.88
114.95
111.09
93.85
102.70
99.64
97.51
97.66
High
Very high
Total
98.61
All of the alternatives cross medium to medium-high quality sites, but
alternatives 3, 5, 6, 13, 14 and 15 will affect less surfaces of such quality.
None of the nine alternatives crossed through sites with high to very
high quality
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Case study 1: conclusion
 After this analysis, jointly with the SCT we concluded that
alternative 15, would be the best route choice for the project and
resulted in the chosen option for impact evaluation on the E.I.
Manifest.
 The rest of the EIA study was done on a known basis of
environmental feasibility, which in the long run will be reflected in a
faster and probably positive resolution from the environmental
authorities.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Case 2:
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Case 2:
Route selection of highway “Compostela – Puerto
Vallarta”, Nayarit, Mexico.
Aim: Route selection which will reduce habitat fragmentation (jaguars).
EIM included:
• Landscape fragmentation
evaluation considering
fractal dimension 1
(a GIS based study).
1 Following Forman, Richard T.T. 1999. Land
Mosaics: The ecology of landscapes and regions.
Cambridge,
United
Cambridge
Louisiana No.
104,Kingdom:
Col. Nápoles,
Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
University
56 87 27 Press.
00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
STUDY SITE IMPORTANCE
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
METHOD
This project crosses land of very high importance for fauna (Jaguar)
conservation along the coast of Nayarit.
Three possible
routes were
proposed by the
SCT for the EIM:
A, B, 0.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
METHOD
GIS fragmentation of study surface using all types of existing roads.
Poligons defined above
topographic line of 200
m.s.n.m
252 polygons were
identified
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
METHOD
Habitat fragmentation reduces native vegetation surfaces,
increases human penetration and border effect, as each one of
the small fragments have their own border (figure 1).
Figure 1: Increase in border effect
with road fragmentation.
Fractal dimension value higher
than 1 was considered as an
increasing border effect on the
landscape unit
Border effect was estimated considering fractal dimension
measurement following Forman (1999) using the perimeter/area
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
relationship (Fd=log P/log A).
June, 2011
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
Case study 2: Results and
Conclusion
Fractal dimension intervals
FD <0.631
FD >0.631<0.730
FD >.730<0.829
FD >0.829<0.862
FD >0.862<0.927
FD >0.927<1.100
FD >1.100<1.490
FD >1.490 lim 2.0
Border effect
Present day
Alternative 0
Alternative A
Alternative B
None
20
227
5
30
231
5
24
232
6
21
144
94
1
1
267
263
259
5.95%
4.37%
2.78%
Low
Medium
High
Number of total landscape units (polygons)
252
Increase in fragmentation
After several meetings with the SCT, selected route was
alternative A. This implied a gain of 5,639.73 ha of jaguar
land for conservation.
The EIA manifest was done considering the
impacts and mitigation measures on this
alternative and project was approved by
authorities.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
5,639.73
Hectares
June, 2011
Case 3:
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Case 3:
Modification of bridge project design to cope with the
flood plain of the Ameca river in Nayarit and Jalisco.
Aim: Re-define bridge length based on field evidence, as original project did not
considered climate change .
Modified chapter II in
EIM :
• A new bridge design
was proposed.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
SITUATION
SCT contracted an EIA manifest for a 200m bridge,
connect two dead-end roads in the municipalities of Bahia de Banderas and Puerto
Vallarta, allowing heavy trucks to cross the Ameca river instead of crossing by Puerto
Vallarta.
While doing EIA field work, evidence of a wider flood plain was observed and project
adjustment had to be done in coordination with the promoter (SCT).
200
m
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
RESULTS
Flood plain
Upper
terrace
Original bridge
Lower
terrace
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
The flood plain on this part of
the Ameca river, is now much
wider than 200m, possibly due
to climate change.
In several meetings with the SCT
authorities, the projected bridge
design and size was modified in
order to guarantee the safety of
users and the structure.
June, 2011
RESULTS
Case study
3: Conclusion
The final EIA manifest considered the 434 m long bridge
and the environmental impacts and mitigation measures
needed.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
A new 434 m long bridge was
designed.
EIA was done considering the new
June, 2011
bridge.
Final Conclusions
Does impact assessment practice lead to
responsible development for infrastructure?
We can say that the EIA Manifest, as the initial part of such practice, must be
considered as an accompaniment tool for the design and definition of road
projects, not only as an evaluation document for authorization, as it
customarily is done in Mexico.
A more environmentally adequate project, as well as a project with less social
resistance makes it easier for decision makers to authorize such projects.
Also less money needs to be invested in mitigation, as prevention measures
and road design modifications were preferred.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
Recomendations
Modification of law articles and EIM guidelines so that EIA
will be done at the before final project stages
Artículo 3 Fr. XX.- Manifestación del impacto ambiental: El documento mediante el cual se
da a conocer, con base en estudios, el impacto ambiental, significativo y potencial que
generaría una obra o actividad, así como la forma de evitarlo o atenuarlo en caso de que
sea negativo, CON EL FIN DE DEFINIR EL PROYECTO DEFINITIVO DE LA OBRA O ACTIVIDAD.
ARTÍCULO 28.- La evaluación del impacto ambiental es el procedimiento a través del cual
la Secretaría establece las condiciones a que se sujetará la realización de obras y
actividades que puedan causar desequilibrio ecológico o rebasar los límites y condiciones
establecidos en las disposiciones aplicables para proteger el ambiente y preservar y
restaurar los ecosistemas, a fin de evitar o reducir al mínimo sus efectos negativos sobre el
medio ambiente. Para ello, en los casos en que determine el Reglamento que al efecto se
expida, quienes pretendan llevar a cabo alguna de las siguientes obras o actividades,
requerirán PRESENTAR LOS ESTUDIOS DE IMPACTO AMBIENTAL DE SUS ANTEPROYECTOS
QUE CONCLUYAN CON EL PLANTEAMIENTO DEFINITIVO DEL PROYECTO, para su
autorización en materia de impacto ambiental de la Secretaría:
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011
•AKNOWLEDGMENTS
Ing. Diana Hernandez from the SCT, for her valuable comments and support in the
realization of several EIA manifest projects of this Secretariat.
M.Sc. Oswaldo Gomez. Atenquique-Tonila project coordinator.
M. Sc.Teresa Flores. Ameca river project coordinator.
SIG department of our company.
Louisiana No. 104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, CP. 03810
56 87 27 00, 56 87 27 00, contacto@selome.com.mx
June, 2011