Environmental impact assessment

Environmentalists say the project could result in the loss of some of Grand Bahamas' last intact pine lands.

The Environmental Impact Assessment estimates that clearing for the project could affect more than 132,000 protected trees and shrubs.

Preserving Paradise Representative C. Allen Johnson has also raised concerns about what the group says are discrepancies in the environmental assessment.

We're concerned about the damage that will happen to the nurseries around this island, such as the mangroves and the salt marshes.

The fact that we now have clearly defined wetlands, etc., is an important step.

The fact that there are requirements to go through an EIA process are important.

But the problem that we face on the ground is that this process is not stopping developments on wetlands.

Sometimes that's because developers are going ahead without EIAs and there's an enforcement problem.

But the more worrying problem is where the Environmental Management Agency, which is the governmental agency that is meant to be responsible for protecting these wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas, are actually still approving developments on uh on wetlands so we you know we have uh we have two cases uh for our our harare uh uh water sources that are ongoing as we speak the monavel wetland which is one of our uh seven ramsar sites so i'm sure you are all familiar with the ramsar convention zimbabwe is currently the president of the ramsar convention this is the convention that governs wetlands of international importance zimbabwe has just seven of them right? These are our most important wetlands.

Two of them, uh, which are, are significant for Harare's, uh, water sources, the Mona Vale, uh, wetland Ramsar site and the Lake Tvera Maniame Ramsar site currently have developments which are ongoing, which have been approved by the environmental management, uh, agency.

Uh, It went through the EIA process.

So we can get into the EIA process in a little bit.

A separate controversy arose over a bureaucratic loophole.

For some reason, such an enormous facility was not required to undergo a full Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfung, or UVP, as heavy industry must.

The authorities and the project's supporters promise millions in tax revenue, investment, and the status of a technology hub.

The community, however, wants answers to different questions.

Of course, that's the Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme.

Now, regulations from the Environmental Impact Assessment, the EIA, allow for up to 500 metres of hedge removal or the creation of a field up to five hectares.

However, the rules under the good agricultural and environmental conditions, the GIECs, the standard eight under those are far more stringent than those of the EIA.

And they also must be adhered to, according to Alan Moore.

we don't know the capacity of the data center and action to protect rural Scotland have written to the Scottish government to alert them to the fact that this application has been submitted and that the council might have missed the requirement to report it because of lack of information.

So, and she's also asked that they require that this site doesn't EIA environmental impact assessment.

So it's just overall, there's just like a lack of information.

And I think that that will be very concerning to people that, that there's a lack of transparency there overall.

Because I

am, for most of the EIAs, I'm on the engagement panel, along with my colleagues in nature groups.

Again, thank you, Tony.

All the best for your book that's coming out, Watching Over the Wire.

I'm sorry, going into this too much about it, but Raven's Craig, the application is now split into two.

What they've done is they've taken their plans, Raven's Craig, and put them in under two different environmental impact assessment screenings, neither of which have been required to do, they've been screened out essentially, so they won't be required to do EIAs.

And so sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down, but I'm trying to keep track of it all.

Do you want to kind of ask your question again? Because I think that was just...

Just... yesterday, two days ago, I want to say, through Hannah Mary Goodlad's new planning direction.

The

EIAs, do you mean the environmental assessments?

The two parts of that are that EIAs will be mandatory for, is it mandatory for new developments or is it just the two, Western Hermiston and Octor Tool?