CEA in Marine Environments: Case Studies and Experiences (Part 1)
Moderator: Jon Isaacs
Presentations
Cumulative Effects Assessment in Marine Environments: Angola Case Study
Presenter(s): Gary Wolinsky
The Cabinda Gulf Oil Company operates in a dynamic marine environment. A variety of factors influence the marine environment in Cabinda and contribute to local/regional ecological conditions, particularly the Congo River, which drains a 3.7 million km2 basin and discharges more than 42,500 m3/second (267317 bbls/second) of water into the CABGOC operations area. CABGOC conducts a variety of environmental monitoring activities to assess impacts around operations to fulfill regulatory mandates and better understand marine phenomena.
Assessing Cumulative Effects of Scientific Research: A Case Study on Alaska’s Steller Sea Lions
Presenter(s): Jon Isaacs, Anne Southam
In 2000, Congress appropriated $80 million for NMFS to research the decline of and develop conservation measures for Steller sea lions, an ESA-listed species. This funding brought challenges for NMFS in coordinating research. The Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit, alleging authorized research activities could have irreversible effects on Stellers. So NMFS produced an EIS to address impacts and enlisted an independent panel to verify appropriate research methods and develop a monitoring program to mitigate impacts.
Cumulative Effects in the Norwegian Management Plan for the Barents Sea
Presenter(s): Erik Olsen
In 2006 Norway implemented an integrated, ecosystem-based management plan for the Barents Sea. Strategic goals and area-based management frameworks for the human sectors fisheries, shipping, petroleum and external influences have been set based on sectorial EIAs, assessment of cumulative impact and analysis of area use. Analyses in the sectorial EIAs ranged from quantitative to qualitative making cumulative impact assessment difficult, resorting to the precautionary approach where cumulative impacts were difficult to determine.