A blog by Harry Sealy CEnv:
In the extreme environments of the Middle East, marine biodiversity can represent above 70% of the total biodiversity of multiple countries in the region.
The coastal regions are, by default, the focus of development, such as luxury waterfront developments, resorts, ports/harbours, desalination plants etc. In recent years the rate of habitat loss in the face of enormous development projects has exacerbated an already serious issue.
Net-positive targets are drafted with good intent by key stakeholders in the Middle East, stated in corporate policies and circulated in public media. However, the reality is often the fragmentation, or serious damage, to significant areas of sensitive, high-quality and potentially irreplaceable marine eco-systems.
Too often there is an over-reliance on very unreliable assumption that habitat compensation/restoration will be adequate to restore the balance.
Identifying the scale of these impacts at EIA stage can already be too late to significantly influence the nature/scale of impacts by designing-out potential impacts. Reasons can include:
- The “vision” for the Project has already been promised,
- SEA /EIA is not adequately integrated with the design process
- The key value of SEA is not fully understood, nor properly accommodated or required in national legislation
- Construction programmes are being “fast-tracked”, with insufficient time provided to enable adequate surveying and analysis for seasonality.
- Detailed design and contractor procurement proceeds without waiting for the details of environmental mitigation requirements
- Opportunities to efficiently design-out impacts/design-in mitigation measures are missed
The extreme climate of the Middle East, exacerbated by climate change, means marine ecosystems are already existing at the limits of their tolerance range. Shocks from disturbance can be severe, with recovery slow if at all.
As environmental professionals within both public and private sectors, the protection of this incredible resource requires us to:
- set and implement regenerative principles as core KPIs from the outset
- determine the value of ecosystem services during preconceptions master planning
- plan programmes to drive close interfaces between engineering/environment and regulatory disciplines utilising both SEA & EIA to their full potential.
- Consider alignment with international requirements e.g. IFC, additional to national environmental requirements.
Summary:
Environmental professionals, across all sectors in the Middle East are key to driving the realisation that marine biodiversity may represent the majority of a nation’s biodiversity. Applying robust use of SEA and EIA to inform the setting and implementation of key Regenerative Development principles encompassing natural capital/ecosystem services will reduce pressure on the marine environment.
In doing so we will move the dynamic from one where the marine habitat may be regarded as being an inconvenience obstructing a high-profile planned development to regarding marine habitat as a resource that pays ongoing dividends physically, ecologically and socially (education/recreation etc).
The marine environment is incredibly diverse, holding a wealth of knowledge and services. Marine Week is the perfect time to dive in and take a closer look at what treasures await us beneath the surface.
Statements on this blog reflect the views and opinions of the author(s) credited and they do not always represent the views or policies of SocEnv. The blogs shared on the SocEnv website are intended to be thought-provoking articles for informative and educational purposes only.
Image credit: Porojnicu from Getty Images.
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