concept EIA-rapport - Staatsolie

SRK Consulting: Project No: 439414 Staatsolie Pipeline EIA – Draft EIA Report Page 38
Very locally isolated spots of Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle/racemosa) and/or Brantimaka
shrub (Machaerium lunatum) occur along the river, but vegetation is scarce due to development of
jetties, harbours, industrial and trade facilities and houses.
The natural wildlife of the study area has either disappeared or is significantly reduced in numbers
due to the loss of habitat, hunting and capturing. Remaining wildlife will be concentrated in the
vacant and vegetated parts of the study area. Only species that are commonly associated with
human presence have been encountered:
• Mammals: opossums, bats, monkeys, edentates, carnivores and rodents;
• Birds: herons, black vultures, hawks, parrots and a variety of water and singing birds;
• Reptiles and amphibians: snakes, lizards, caimans, turtles, frogs and toads; and
• Fish: several swamp fish species.
A species list presented by Hardy BBT (1991) for Het Vertrouwen, some 2 km south of the Staatsolie
refinery, indicates that no vulnerable, rare or endangered species occur in the area.
4.1.6.2 Aquatic ecology
The construction of the Afobaka Dam in the Suriname River had a large impact on the water quality
and fish fauna downstream and upstream of the dam (Mol et al and Panday-Verheuvel in SRK,
2008). The lower Suriname River is a moderately to highly disturbed ecosystem that has been
adversely affected by anthropogenic activities. The study area is located in the lower part of the
freshwater reach of the river (where salinity isbelow 1‰), while the river becomes mesohaline (with
salinity levels of 1-20‰) in the downstream sections (upper estuary).
Fish sampling conducted for the Suriname River Dredging Project (SRDP) found 14 species of fish,
dominated by snook (Centropomus sp), koebi (Plagioscion auratus) and kwasimama (Hypopthalmus
edentatus), in the freshwater reach. The upper estuary of the river (in the vicinity of Paramaribo)
yielded a have higher diversity (25 species), probably as result of the varying water conditions
created by the convergence of the estuarine and freshwater reaches of the river. Phytoplankton
diversity does not correlate with fish diversity and was found to be highest in the freshwater reach of
the river (SRK, 2008). The sampling results are summarised in Table 4-9.
Table 4-9: SRDP results of aquatic sampling in the Suriname River
Upper Estuary Freshwater Reach
Distance from river mouth (i.e. 15 m lowtide
depth contour)
40 – 55 km 55 – 90 km*
Water salinity Mesohaline (1-20‰) Freshwater (