Using Species as Reference Points for Environmental Licensing of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Using Species as Reference Points for Environmental Licensing of Hydroelectric Dams in the Brazilian Amazon Lorena Ribeiro de Almeida Carneiro , Albertina Pimentel Lima, Pedro Ivo Simoes, Igor Luis Kaefer, Rafael de Fraga, William Ernest Magnusson Coordination of Research in Ecology Brazilian National Institute for Amazonian Research - INPA San José, 2013

Environmental licensing Procedure required by the Brazilian government for implementation of projects or activities that may affect the environment. IBAMA – Brazilian Methodological directions Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources Studies results or Responsible Mitigation conditionals entrepreneurs State environmental agency Mitigation actions or County environmental Licenses agency 2

Brazilian Program for Accelerated Economic Growth – PAC (2007) Planned hydroeletric plants in Brazilian Amazon (Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency - ANEEL) Planned hydroeletric plants in Andean Amazon ( Finer e Jenkins, 2012) 3

Target selection CONAMA Resolution No. 001/1986 , art. 6: “The environmental impact study will develop at least the following technical activities: I - Environmental diagnosis of the area of influence of the project (...) considering: b) the biological environment and natural ecosystems - the flora and fauna , highlighting the indicator species of environmental quality scientific and economic value, rare and endangered species and areas of permanent preservation; ” IBAMA Normative Instruction No. 146 , art 5: “The results of the Survey of Fauna in areas of endeavors, must present: I - list of species found, indicating the registration form and habitat, highlighting the endangered species, the endemic, those considered rare, not previously described for the study area or the science, the indicator of environmental quality, the economic importance , the potentially invasive or epidemiological risk, including domestic, migratory and their routes;” 4

Target selection Some of the categories may not be adequate to indicate target taxa in the Amazon region. • Scale dependents • Disregards the type of impact Panthera onca Pteronura brasiliensis Rosas et al.,2007 5

Biological reference points A metric of stock status under a management regime. Approaches in fisheries: growth recruitment Inferences about the mortality .... impact of the extractive Índex management of these populations. Used to understand “how much” can be extracted 6

Biological reference points A metric of stock status under a management regime. Approaches in management: Inferences about the impact of a project known distribution installation in these area populations In the context of impact assessments, benchmarks could indicate how the impact might affect target organisms or processes. 7

Environmental impact assessment of Santo Antônio Hydroelectric power Madeira river Ameerega trivittata Trachycephalus typhonius 8

Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Power Madeira river RAPELD method (Magnusson et al. 2005; Costa and Magnusson 2010) Adapted to measure the impact of the installation of the project on the elements of local biodiversity, in relation to the known distributions of those elements The stock status of the species: known Main impact: spatial Filling of the dam distribution 9

Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Power Madeira river RAPELD method (Magnusson et al. 2005; Costa and Magnusson 2010) Adapted to measure the impact of the installation of the project on the elements of local biodiversity, in relation to the known distributions of those elements See details of the method: Lima et al. 2011; Technical Information No. 65/2008 - IBAMA). 10

Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Power Madeira river Pitfall Active search Casual limited by time encounters 11

Results Species that were only found in locations distant from large water bodies Taxa detected near and from the area to be flooded Species which were only found in areas where flooding was expected. 12

Results Species that were only found in locations distant from large water bodies Taxa detected near and from the area to be flooded Species which were only found in areas where flooding was expected. 13

Results 14

Results Brazilian Target species Status IUCN Estate Amazon Amazon Dendropsophus marmoratus Least Concern X X X Leptodactylus podicipinus Least Concern X X X Hypsiboas punctatus Least Concern X X X Leptodactylus bolivianus Least Concern X X X Pipa pipa Least Concern X X X Hydrolaetare schmidti Least Concern X X X Dendropsophus koechlini Least Concern ? X X Chiasmocleis jimi Data Deficient ? X ? Altigius alios Data Deficient ? ? X Elachistocleis sp. - ? ? ? Dendrophisophus sp14 - ? ? ? Leptodactylus gr. marmoratur - ? ? ? Dendropsophus gr. brevifrons - ? ? ? Dendrophryniscus gr. minutus - ? ? ? Scinax sp1 - ? ? ? 15

Results Brazilian Target species Status IUCN Estate Amazon Amazon Dendropsophus marmoratus Least Concern X X X Leptodactylus podicipinus Least Concern X X X Hypsiboas punctatus Least Concern X X X Leptodactylus bolivianus Least Concern X X X Pipa pipa Least Concern X X X Hydrolaetare schmidti Least Concern X X X Dendropsophus koechlini Least Concern ? X X Chiasmocleis jimi Data Deficient ? X ? Altigius alios Data Deficient ? ? X Elachistocleis sp. - ? ? ? Dendrophisophus sp14 - ? ? ? Leptodactylus gr. marmoratur - ? ? ? Dendropsophus gr. brevifrons - ? ? ? Dendrophryniscus gr. minutus - ? ? ? Scinax sp1 - ? ? ? 16

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Results Brazilian Target species Status IUCN Estate Amazon Amazon Dendropsophus marmoratus Least Concern X X X Leptodactylus podicipinus Least Concern X X X Hypsiboas punctatus Least Concern X X X Leptodactylus bolivianus Least Concern X X X Pipa pipa Least Concern X X X Hydrolaetare schmidti Least Concern X X X Dendropsophus koechlini Least Concern ? X X Chiasmocleis jimi Data Deficient ? X ? Altigius alios Data Deficient ? ? X Elachistocleis sp. - ? ? ? Dendrophisophus sp14 - ? ? ? Leptodactylus gr. marmoratur - ? ? ? Dendropsophus gr. brevifrons - ? ? ? Dendrophryniscus gr. minutus - ? ? ? Scinax sp1 - ? ? ? 18

Conclusion Criteria suggested in the legislation are unrelated to the sampling • situation of Amazonian biodiversity and impacts involved. • The successful use of spatial reference points depends on the better field surveys in the Amazon basin. • Decisions based on extreme uncertainty are likely not to have much influence on political decision makers. Investment in systematic sampling across the Amazon is necessary if we are to establish quantitative reference points that are meaningful to decision makers. 19

Acknowledgment lorena.carneiro@inpa.gov.br 20