Considering the Environment
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Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)
CSR Developments is currently preparing the world’s first ESIA to international standards for a submerged timber salvage. The company, in fact, required that its agreement with the Government of Ghana hold CSR Developments to meet both Ghanaian and World Bank / International Finance Corporation social and environmental standards. Meeting this commitment has been a major and exciting process involving a large number of stakeholders.
Conducting the Project
Environmental Resources Management (ERM), one of the world’s leading environmental consultancies, is directing the ESIA with the support of over a dozen Ghanaian experts in fields as diverse as water quality and archaeology. Specialists from the Volta Basin Research Project at the University of Ghana, an organisation that has been studying the lake for over 40 years, have also provided substantial contributions to the ESIA.
The draft ESIA report, which is near completion, carefully assesses potential social and environmental impacts of the proposed operations. It also provides specific measures to minimize and mitigate these impacts. As the operation is the first of its kind at this scale and there is no directly comparable experience from other lakes in Africa, the ESIA takes a precautionary approach to its impact assessment and includes extensive monitoring during operations to evaluate mitigation measures.
The ESIA must be completed and considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency before harvesting can commence. The ESIA, through the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), will also help establish world-class social and environmental management and performance practices during the many years of operations.
Public Consultation
A critical aspect of the ESIA is intensive public consultation, which the company is committed to continuing throughout the life of the project. The consultation work undertaken by CSR Developments with the communities around the Afram Arm of the lake began months in advance of the ESIA to help the company better understand how communities rely on the lake and what concerns they may have about the project.
Meetings, focus groups and interviews have been held with nearly 1,000 community members to-date. CSR Developments also has held over 70 meetings with organisations, including NGOs, interested in protecting the lake and supporting the communities around it.
Scoping Report
In late 2007, the company completed the ESIA Scoping Report, which is available through its website and Accra office. In the Scoping Report, the ESIA study team undertook a preliminary impact assessment, and identified potential mitigation measures. The team sat down with a large number of stakeholder organizations, as well as community members, to get their insights into the Report and the proposed project.
The Scoping Report and stakeholder inputs have now been incorporated in the full ESIA. Extensive baseline surveys have also been undertaken on, for example, community livelihoods and fisheries. The draft ESIA report will be discussed at a public hearing and made widely available.
The preparation of the first world-class ESIA for submerged timber harvesting constitutes a milestone for many reasons, but it is only one component of the company’s vision and effort to support sustainable development around the Volta Lake.
Request a copy of the Scoping Report: send email
Request a copy of the ESIA report (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment): send email
The Volta Basin Research Project at the University of Ghana
The Volta Basin Research Project (VBRP), University of Ghana, has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with CSR Developments that will enable cooperation in research, development and business activities and help facilitate the smooth and timely implementation of the Volta Lake project. The extensive knowledge of the lake and its surrounding communities that VLRP offers will be very helpful to the success of the CSR Developments timber salvage project.
In the near term, VBRP will provide the company with advice, technical support and information to assist with its preparation of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the project. The input from VBRP will cover a variety of topics ranging from fisheries to bio-diversity.
Both organizations are looking forward to the results of the ESIA, as they will guide the development of activities under the agreement for the five year term. Potential projects may include research on water quality, human diseases, alternative livelihoods, as well as aquaculture development and project monitoring.
VBRP and CSR Developments hope that their partnership will act as a catalyst to encourage other parties, including government institutions, donor agencies, NGOs and corporations, to work together for the sustainable development of the Volta Lake.
Partnership with the Nature Conservation Research Centre
CSR Developments and the Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC) agreed in 2007 to collaborate on social and ecological issues facing lake communities.
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| Manatee with its pup. |
The partnership has two main objectives: to improve living conditions and economic opportunities in the operating area, and to increase knowledge of the West African manatee and protect its shoreline habitats in the Afram Arm.
Specific activities outlined under the partnership include better understanding of water safety issues, the provision of household solar lighting and safe water supply, as well as scholarship funds for junior secondary school students.
NCRC will use its strong contacts in Ghana to advocate and support social infrastructure investment in target communities.
The submerged forest offers habitat to one of the most important remaining manatee populations, which has been trapped above the Akosombo dam for more than forty years. But the manatees are now under threat from fishing activities and some hunting.
The joint efforts of the two organizations will focus on research, mitigation and conservation measures to allow the human and manatee populations to co-exist.
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Economy and Environment: Ghana-ecoenv
Print Resolution: Ghana-ecoenv150
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