CREATING A STANDARDISED APPROACH TO REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
- 1. Creating a Standardised Approach to Regional Environmental Management Rob Langman 26 April 2022 v 1.0
- 2. Contents 1. Regional management • What does it mean? • What does it look like? • How is it achieved? 2. Regional priorities • How can you prioritise? • How can you fill knowledge gaps? 3. Compatibility and comparability of data sets 4. Ensuring accessibility of reporting 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 2
- 3. Regional Management – our experience 1. Regional management requires the coordination of: • Multiple operators • Multiple survey contractors • Multiple consultants and specialists • Regulators and their specialist advisors • Stakeholders with varying backgrounds 2. Must achieve: • Tangible benefits for all • An agreed framework and practical solutions that can be used for future licensable activities in the region 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 3
- 4. Marine Aggregate Extraction – is it relevant? 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 4 From: United Nations Environmental Programme: https://na.unep.net/geas/articleimages/Mar-14-figure-3-lrg.png
- 5. Defining the spatial extent of the activity 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 5 From: BMAPA: https://bmapa.org/
- 6. Regional Management – Terms of Reference • The Eastern English Channel • Became focus of marine aggregate exploration in the late 1990s • Virgin site for aggregate extraction • Stable seabed with diverse communities thought to be slow to recover • Aggregate companies looking to extract top ~5m of sediment • Direct effects of seabed removal and the secondary effects relating to the production of sediment plumes considered the most important issues • By early 2000s several applications were made to the regulator • The number and proximity of applications coupled with the nature of the region and the potential impacts triggered the requirement for a detailed analysis of cumulative and in-combination effects to satisfy the regulator • Industry realised collaboration and coordination would be required to account for environmental risk, satisfy the regulatory requirement and achieve affordable outcomes • Regional Environmental Assessment completed in 2003 • Maximum dredge scenario offtake of 34 million tonnes per year for 15 years from a maximum area of 117km2 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 6
- 7. Regional Assessment 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 7 From: the ECA: www.eastchannel.info
- 8. Regional Assessment 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 8 From: the ECA: www.eastchannel.info
- 9. Monitoring Blueprint • Established the rationale, nature and extent for the monitoring and standard operating procedures • Identified the components of monitoring that could be completed through: • site specific work • regional work • identification of a suitable “type site” that could be used for detailed investigation and analysis of specific issues 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 9 From: the ECA www.eastchannel.info
- 10. Type Site • Utilised a single site to test some of the hypotheses developed from the findings of the impact assessment • Established a sound baseline for highly detailed analysis of the “type site” • Allowed for development of many sites with “similar” physical and ecological conditions 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 10 From: the ECA www.eastchannel.info
- 11. Results – Type Site 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 11 From: the ECA www.eastchannel.info
- 12. Regional Monitoring Review 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 12 From: the ECA www.eastchannel.info
- 13. Applicability EIA • Establish potential physical effects • Establish key receptors for impacts HYP • Establish hypotheses to test during monitoring • Establish survey methodologies to test hypotheses PLAN • Plan surveys to test hypotheses (including the use of a type site if appropriate)
- 14. Applicability SURVEY • Conduct surveys according to agreed specification • If issues arise, ensure hypothesis testing is not compromised REPORT • Review monitoring results in the context of the hypotheses • Establish repeat survey methodologies to test hypotheses REVIEW • Feedback knowledge gained and lessons learned into the system to ensure the monitoring remains current and fit for purpose
- 16. Evolution • Monitoring of environmental samples now adjusted as a result of the data collected in this region: • Faunal samples no longer enumerated as part of the monitoring, but are assigned a sediment and biological group at the baseline stage • Physical change at baseline stations is then monitored to determine whether changes have occurred in the physical characteristics of the habitat that may prevent recovery after impact • Statistical tests used to flag issues – actions may be required to return the stations to the baseline characteristics in future • ~700 samples across the region – PSA only rather than species 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 16
- 17. Evolution 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 17 Regional Environmental Assessment / EIA / Substantive Review Hypotheses Regional Monitoring Monitoring Review Regional Supporting Studies
- 18. Cycle of Monitoring • Allows for life cycle planning • Can book contractors in advance • Generally know the scope of works required – established standard operating procedures • Regulators/stakeholders trust the system and know what is coming • Rolled out to other regions 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 18 Year 0 , 5, 10, 15 Survey reporting and analysis Year 1, 6, 11 (Start dredging & Full PDR), Substantive Review Interim survey planning Year 2, 7, 12 Interim survey Year 3, 8, 13 Full repeat survey (RGMP &RSMP) planning Interim survey reporting Year -1, 4, 9, 14 Full repeat (or baseline) survey completion
- 19. Cost Savings and Efficiencies • More efficient management • More efficient for the survey contractor • More consistent delivery of more robust science • More engagement with the process from all sides • Better understanding of the regional effects of the activity on the environment • Highlighted where other changes were occurring beyond the industries control • Practical and pragmatic 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 19 Individual licence area £75k* £50k* £50k £100k £250k £10k - £535k Split for an individual licence area within the region *£75k *£50k £25k £50k £50k £10k £10k £220k Bathymetry & SSS Resource Seabed sediments Ecology Tracer/plume Non-technical reporting Regional Management TOTAL
- 20. Other Factors to Consider • Other research was conducted to fill knowledge gaps using the marine aggregate levy sustainability fund (ALSF) • Spent £22.5M on research between 2002 and 2011 • Plugged gaps in knowledge or completed projects that would benefit the whole industry • Natural seabed resources • Direct and indirect effects • Mitigation and management • Socio-economic issues • Education, dissemination and outreach • Regional Environmental Characterisation projects 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 20
- 21. Other Factors to Consider • High amount of collaboration required • Regulatory • Industry (allowing for fair competition) • All stakeholders including NGS and members of the general public • No-one was allowed to run before they could walk • Also requires significant trust, an open dialogue to exchange ideas to achieve a common goal 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 21
- 22. Conclusions • Enabled the licensing of large-scale production within a virgin region • Realised cost savings for the companies involved • Provided regulators with a more comparable and robust data set • Provided a framework to enable monitoring results to feedback into adaptive monitoring Ultimately regional monitoring facilitated the licensing of the region, lowered costs for the operating companies through increased buying power and rationalisation, and ensured the robust monitoring results were fed back into the system to minimise ongoing monitoring costs following testing of impact hypotheses and provide certainty for all stakeholders of the region 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 22
- 23. Acknowledgements • ECA: www.eastchannel.info • MALSF: • BMAPA • The Crown Estate 03/05/2022 Deep-Sea Mining Summit 2022 23